


Serial Killer of the FBI

by ReaperofBalance



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, Naruto
Genre: BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, F/F, F/M, Multi, Smart Uzumaki Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:13:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 73,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperofBalance/pseuds/ReaperofBalance
Summary: If you can't beat your enemy, then join them. In the FBI's case, if you can't beat them, then give them a job. The BAU is about to get a new expert to help them on their cases, a man who made it his mission to hunt monsters and put them in the ground. A Serial Killer is now going to join the FBI in hunting the worst of the worst. Maybe they'll learn a thing of two.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 51





	1. First Case

**Hey everyone, Welcome to the new item: A serial killer Naruto who hunts and kills serial killers joins the BAU and helps them with their cases.**

**Now I won’t say Naruto won’t kill anyone while on the team, but he’s certainly not going to be doing it every single case. Of course those who have seen all of Criminal Minds know there will be times for Naruto to kill multiple individuals.**

**This is also going to be a harem fic, but not massive and quite a few are more just having fun/sexual friends than getting married or anything like that, though they aren’t sleeping with anyone else either. There will be some from Naruto and some from Criminal Minds**

**Also I will be putting whichever episode is involved with the chapter if there are any since I will be trying some filler stuff at times to break the mold as they say.**

**I’ll also be doing the backstory for this Naruto as we go.**

**Well, that should be it, let’s get the show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item..**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 1: First Case**

**Season 1, Episode 4: Plain Sight**

**Episode Quotes: Do not forget that I cannot see myself, that my role is limited to being the one that looks in the mirror. – French Poet Jacques Rigaut**

**Birds sing after a storm. Why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them? – Rose Kennedy**

**_Quantico, Virginia: Federal Bureau of Investigation: Behavioral Analysis Unit: Bullpen_ **

Arron Hotchner was in the bullpen smiling as the youngest member of the team, Spencer Reid, was blowing the candles out on his birthday cake or at least trying to since they were trick candles. Beside Hotch was one of his mentors, Jason Gideon, and the two were discussing the fact that Reid’s intelligence was what it was and he was only 24. Hotch however had to step away as one of the main phones rang and an agent called him over before he picked it up, “Hello?”

“Agent Hotchner, this is Supervisor Strauss.” A woman stated on the other end making Hotch get a bad feeling.

“Yes ma’am, what can I do for you?” He asked professionally.

“A call just came in asking for assistance in San Diego, but the director has something in mind for that.” Strauss stated as she sighed into the phone.

“And that is?” Hotch asked wondering what warranted the director’s attention.

“Naruto Namikaze.” Strauss replied making Hotch tense, “I know, believe me, but the director has decided that he’s too valuable a potential resource to just leave in jail. He’s added over 30 convictions and arrests and closed twice that with information he’s revealed since he was imprisoned and has gotten Interpol a number of arrests which help make us look better. Your case involves a serial rapist that also kills that’s hit 6 times in 3 weeks and the locals have no leads and no way to track anything. As such the director wants to give Namikaze a trial run in sharing his methods since he was finding individuals that weren’t even on our radar. He will be under yours and Agent Gideon’s authority and the director wants a clear report on his usefulness and tactics and wants it done properly.” Strauss stated making it clear she didn’t care for this either but the director’s orders were the director’s orders.

“I understand ma’am, but I do need to say that I don’t like this.” Hotch stated since working with a serial killer wasn’t exactly ideal even if he didn’t mind the man personally.

“You also don’t like the fact that the job hasn’t become obsolete either, we all have to just gut it up and do the work.” Strauss stated making Hotch sigh and agree, “Good, and before you concern yourself with him running he’s not since he already brokered a deal for his help.”

“I’m scared to ask what he wanted.” Hotch stated seeing others taking glances at him with curiosity and worry.

“Then you’re going to love this.” Strauss stated before telling him what Naruto’s demands were making Hotch raise his eyebrows in surprise and curiosity, “He’ll meet you at the plane by the time you’re ready for takeoff and the files should already be there on Agent Jareau’s desk.” Strauss stated before hanging up.

Hotch sighed as he hung up his phone, “Sorry guys, but party’s over.” He stated as he sent Agent Jennifer Jareau, aka JJ, to her desk to grab the files while he went to his desk and found the one case file he always had so he could know the basic details of the case.

10 minutes later had them all in the conference room with Hotch coming in, “We’re going to San Diego, they’ve got one called the Tommy Killer and he’s raped and murdered 6 women in their homes in the past 3 weeks.” Hotch stated as the files were handed out making them pause a moment since that was a short fuse.

“Why the Tommy Killer?” Agent Derek Morgan asked and Hotch was the one who answered.

“You know the rock opera? Well this guy glues his victims’ eyes open.” Hotch stated making a couple of them cringe as Hotch sighed and leaned on the chair.

“Is there something else?” Gideon asked knowing there was a wrinkle.

“The director has decided to use this case as an experiment by bringing in an outside individual for us to utilize and study his methods.” Hotch stated showing he didn’t like the idea while the less senior members were wondering what the problem with a consultant was.

“And this individual’s name?” Gideon asked knowing that would be the only reason that Hotch was unhappy.

“Naruto Namikaze.” Hotch stated looking at Gideon seeing his surprised reaction and getting Reid, Morgan, and Agent Elle Greenway to look at him in shock while JJ was looking at them in confusion.

“As in the _Hunter_ Naruto Namikaze?” Reid asked, “The guy who hunted, tracked, and killed at least 40 serial killers across 6 countries?” Reid clarified making JJ widen her eyes and Hotch to nod.

“The same man who in the past 4 years has also been giving the FBI and Interpol a list of targets he was hunting as well as giving a new name and location of a body he claims to have killed. He’s also given in depth discussions with senior and junior agents on his craft and how he’s able to understand the killers better than even we could. He even had the name and location of the Footpath Killer before I found him. He gave the information while we were investigating the arson case just after that happened.” Gideon stated weighing the benefits and risks of doing this.

“You gotta be kidding me. The director wants us to work with a serial killer?” Morgan asked in shock.

“Technically he wants us to work with a vigilante version of our unit. The only reason Naruto was even caught was because one of his targets had a victim in hand already and Naruto stayed to keep her alive until the police and medics arrived. The girl lived, but Naruto was arrested and tied to multiple killings that he stated were serial killers and agreed to a plea of consecutive multiple year sentences in exchange for him giving names of either active targets or locations of the bodies that weren’t found. DNA tests showed that the victims were in fact the culprits and the few that DNA couldn’t confirm showed that the killings he said they were tied to just stopped right after they died. This was then further confirmed when Naruto revealed he turned the bodies over to the families so they could have closure.” Reid stated having studied the man for a long time.

“The director has decided this and we have to go along with it. Naruto will be answering to Gideon and myself for the investigation and will be with us on the plane. The lawyers for the Bureau, the state, and country have already brokered their deal with him.” Hotch stated surprising them.

“And just what does this guy want in exchange for his help?” Elle asked curiously that was shared by the rest of them.

“For each case he helps close, he gets one month off his sentence, one day a month he is allowed a personal visitor of his choosing and if the person says no then he doesn’t get a visitor, and he wants a double bacon cheeseburger, crispy fries, a vanilla milkshake, and a large sweet tea for a meal.” Hotch stated making them raise their eyebrows, “That’s all he wants and the deal can’t be discussed again until he’s helped us close at least 50 cases or if he proves not to be helpful at all.”

“You mean to tell me that he could have demanded any number of things from the Bureau and he just wants a month off his sentence, the possibility of a visit, and a meal once a month?” Morgan asked incredulously and Hotch nodded.

“That’s right, but since the local authorities don’t know about this he is to be treated as a consultant and not a criminal. Wheels up in 30.” Hotch stated before walking off while the others were wondering what the hell they got themselves into.

**_Federal Supermax prison: Virginia*_ **

Federal Supermax prisons, the most secured prisons in America, that officially exist, and the places that held criminals that were too dangerous, cunning, smart, or something else all together to be left in a normal prison and weren’t able to be executed under normal circumstances.

Within the walls of one in particular was a 25 year old male with spiky sun-kissed blond hair that stood 6’5” made of muscle. However, unlike others he wasn’t bulky but instead looked like a professional runner or a martial artist complete with a six pack that was close to an eight pack. Aside from the hair, the other noticeable features of him were his crystal blue eyes, six whisker-like birthmarks on his face, and two large burn wounds on his bare chest.

Said man was currently doing vertical pushups while waiting for a guard to come tell him something or give him his food. He was still waiting for word on if the FBI accepted his offer of help since he really didn’t want the various sick bastards out there to have any kind of extra time to hunt more people. Of course, he’d have to change up some methods since he couldn’t kill every criminal they came across and there was no way they were going to trust him with a gun right away at least not until he proved himself. However, that didn’t bother him. He’d still be hunting the bastards and making them stop, some would get arrested and some he was sure would give them reason to shoot them dead and not let them see the next day.

He broke from his musings and workout at a knock at the reinforced bullet proof glass at the door, “Alright kid, get your shit together. You’re getting your chance.” The guard named Asuma stated as he stood there in uniform and a cigarette in his mouth, which was more to mock the inmates than it was for himself.

Naruto nodded and stood up while grabbing the white T-shirt that was the standard undershirt for all the jumpsuits before he put his hands through the slot to be cuffed before standing back with his hands there to ensure the guards knew he wasn’t being hostile.

As he stepped out to be chained up further by Asuma and his partner Kakashi, Naruto smiled seeing his lawyer, Kurenai Yuhi, standing there beautiful as the day he met her waiting to walk with him and explain the details.

Kurenai was dressed in a white blouse with the top two buttons undone showing some of her cleavage, black pantyhose with black stilettos on her feet, a slitted navy blue skirt that went past her knee but showed off her gorgeous legs, and a navy blue jacket buttoned just under her blouse’s buttons showing off her curves even more. In addition to her hair being done up in a bun with a pair of chopsticks holding it in place, she also had a pair of half rimmed glasses on her face, red lipstick that matched her crimson eyes which came from a pigment mutation that just merely changed her eye color, and red painted fingernails. On her ears were two studs one a pearl and one a diamond. Her right ear had black ones and her left ear had normal ones.

“Nice seeing you Kure-chan.” Naruto stated as he began walking beside her with the guards behind them.

“Nice seeing you Naruto-kun. Now as for your deal, you will be answering to Agents Aaron Hotchner and Jason Gideon while also working with their team that consists of a Doctor Spencer Reid, Agent Derek Morgan, “newbie” Agent Elle Greenway, technical analyst Penelope Garcia, and Media Liaison Agent Jennifer Jareau. You are going to be given a change of clothes and then escorted to their plane where you will be briefed and discuss the case. You are to be introduced as a consultant and may not carry a firearm unless Agent Hotchner or Gideon state otherwise; you will not be allowed to go anywhere without one member of the team accompanying you unless Agent Hotchner or Gideon say otherwise; you will not discuss any of your previous work in front of anyone except for the team, again unless Agent Gideon or Hotchner say otherwise; you will in no way compromise or jeopardize a member of the team you are with; and you most definitely will not kill anyone while you are out with the team save for the act of doing so to save the life of someone.” Kurenai read off using the clear cut language she knew Naruto would appreciate as they walked before they arrived at the exit and Kurenai handed him a duffle bag.

“Thank you, I’ll be sure to behave.” Naruto stated before kissing Kurenai full on the lips making her moan slightly and return it for a few seconds before they separated, “And I’ll look forward to seeing you personally once the case is done.” Naruto stated making Kurenai smirk and lick her lips.

“Can’t wait love.” Kurenai stated as they walked out and Naruto was put in the back of a stretch SUV where he was uncuffed and told to change while two Marshalls and FBI agents kept their guns trained on him.

Naruto merely snorted in amusement as he changed clothes before sitting back and enjoying the drive.

Within 20 minutes, he was at the airport and got out while dressed in a pair of jeans, a black belt with a leaf shaped emblem as the buckle, black combat boots, a red ¾ sleeved shirt, a pair of black sunglasses hanging from the shirt, and a black jacket on his shoulder. Standing beside the plane was Hotch and Naruto walked up to him while two Marshalls followed, “Agent Hotchner, pleasure to see you again.” Naruto stated shaking Hotch’s hand, though he knew it was a bit forced, “Relax sir, I’m here to help, not take advantage of you or your team. If you want me to sit there and shut up then I will, but I want these guys stopped just as much if not more than you all do.” Naruto stated trying to put Hotch at ease as he sighed a bit.

Hotch nodded to the Marshalls signaling they could leave as Hotch began walking towards the plane, “So how pissed is the team that I’m essentially a forced piece of baggage?” Naruto asked as they walked and Hotch snorted slightly.

“A lot more than they will be when they see what a valuable resource you can be. Don’t get me wrong Naruto, I think the information you’ve shared is valuable, but you’re still a big question mark on if we can all trust you or not.” Hotch stated making Naruto give him that point since it was fair.

As they entered, the team all looked at Naruto though Elle did think he looked handsome, “Everyone this is Naruto Namikaze, he’s already been briefed by his lawyer on each of you. We’ll proceed like any normal case and go from there, any questions?” Hotch asked with the team shaking their heads while Naruto nodded.

“Just one, how should I address each of you? I don’t really care for using general terms and such unless the person would prefer it. So if I address you someway that you would prefer I not, then please let me know.” Naruto stated as he took a seat near the others before the pilot proceeded with takeoff.

Once they were at a cruising altitude, Hotch stood to address everyone as the files and pictures were put out, “Alright, the last victim was Brenda Samms, she was found yesterday by her children when they got home from school. She had been strangled with a thin ligature, possibly a wire.” Hotch stated making Naruto hum in thought.

“Shows he’s careful and calculated. If there is the possibility of a wire than that means he took it with him and since they didn’t find any foreign blood that means he didn’t use his bare hands to hold the wire or he would have cut himself.” Naruto stated making them nod.

“The residue on the mouth and wrists indicate that duct tape was used and then removed from her, also not found at the scene.” Reid stated making Naruto frown.

“Then that means he must not want a mess that he can’t control otherwise why not use the wire to bind her?” He stated getting them to look at him in confusion, “It’s like this, there’s no indication that the wire needed to be wrapped or held a certain way to choke her, so why then didn’t he use it? Because wire that thin could have cut into her wrists as she struggled which would leave blood and a mess also giving the possibility of getting blood on him which may mean he can’t afford to have a mess on himself. This also narrows down the kind of wire he used since it would have to be thin enough to match and hold but not so thin that it would snap easily.” Naruto explained making a few raise an eyebrow.

“He could have just used the duct tape because he had it handy when he was taping her mouth.” Morgan stated and Naruto shook his head.

“No, if this guy is meticulous then he knows nothing is gonna disturb him so why would he tape her mouth first before taping her hands since he doesn’t want to risk her having some fight in her and getting a lucky shot. That means he did her hands first and if you have wire in your bag why not use that since wire is stronger than tape usually especially with sweat and struggling, which then leads me to believe he used the tape to save on the mess since the wire could cut into her.” Naruto explained making Morgan see his point.

“There’s also the fact he started leaving messages at the fourth scene.” Hotch stated as he showed a picture of one of the mirrors, “This was on the mirrors. ‘Fair lady, throw those costly robes aside. No longer may you glory in your pride. Take leave of all your carnal, vain delight.’” Hotch read before Naruto and Reid cut in.

“I’ve come to summon you away this night.” The two said looking at the other before Naruto chose to explain.

“He’s using an old ballad from the late 1600s where a woman and death have a discussion with the woman begging death to let her live.” Naruto stated with Reid nodding while the others just looked on in interest, though Gideon also had a smile at Reid knowing the ballad, before Naruto looked at the other mirror photos, “Interesting, he’s not using the woman’s side of the ballad at all, maybe he thinks the body is enough of a reply to what happens when you try to bargain with death. But why not use it at every scene?” Naruto stated in thought before he paused and frowned, “Agent Jareau.” Naruto started before JJ cut him off.

“Miss Jareau or JJ please.” She stated making Naruto nod before he continued.

“Could you see when the news ran on there being a serial killer?” He asked making her look at him in confusion, “After which victim.” He clarified making her nod.

“I can as soon as we land.” She stated since she wasn’t going to try and make the call at this height.

“What are you thinking Naruto?” Gideon asked making Naruto frown in thought.

“I think killer boy was whining for attention.” Naruto stated casually making them raise an eyebrow, “I think he was upset at being ignored by everyone, counting the police since they weren’t linking him to the other cases, so he left a message to make everyone start looking at him. He got a news report on himself and heightened awareness, but still he struck two more times basically letting him bask in the glory of him still killing and the cops couldn’t do anything to stop him.” Naruto stated making them raise their eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s similar to how the ballad goes, the woman tries everything from begging, to bribery, to even trying to seduce death if he’ll let her live but still he kills her.” Reid stated making Naruto nod.

“So this guy thinks of himself as death?” Elle asked with Naruto nodding.

“Think about it, a victim always tries to bargain or plead with their attacker. Offering them anything if they’ll just let them go and this guy won’t do it no matter how much they beg and I’m willing to bet the begging just makes it more enjoyable for him.” Naruto stated as they flipped through more work.

“That may also be the reason for all the destruction, they were the women’s riches.” Gideon stated seeing all the expensive items that the Unsub destroyed.

“Most likely, and since he hates and despises the wealth so much it probably means he’s poor or just middle class or even something that should make him higher class but he still gets no respect. However, since he doesn’t stand out in the area he can’t be poor or lower class so he has to be at least middle to upper middle class or he would be too noticeable in the area. That also means this guy is average to the point of being a ghost: nothing remarkable, noticeable, distinguishable, or anything that would make someone remember him if they saw him. And since his anger is aimed at women, I’m betting he’s got a controlling wife, overbearing mother, or a cruel and abusive boss that makes him feel worthless or powerless and since he can’t touch her, he goes after women that represent her. This guy could be hunting at random or just targeting women for any perceived slight he feels they committed against him.” Naruto stated since it fit and the others nodded.

“It’s the eyes that I’m focused on, it’s the signature: the one thing he doesn’t have to do but needs to if he wants the release.” Gideon stated as Naruto flipped through the photos before pausing with a frown as he stared at the picture of one of the victims.

Elle noticed the frown first, “What is it?” She asked drawing everyone’s attention.

“Okay, look at this.” He said showing the photo of Brenda Samms face down with her head turned and her arms at her sides, “This guys reads as an excitation rapist, the kind that needs them to look at him, right?” He asked making them nod, “And there’s no sign of her having been moved after she died aside from her arms moving when he took the tape, correct?” Again they nodded, “Then here’s the problem.” He stated pointing to her head, “If the eyes were glued open to make them watch the attack, why are they looking away from it happening?” He asked making Gideon and Elle widen their eyes, “She can’t see him, see the attack, or anything he’s doing to her. So maybe the eyes aren’t glued open to see him during the attack, maybe they are to have to see him afterwards? To make it so that he knows that they are looking at him after they are dead and that he is the last thing they will ever see.” Naruto stated making them all frown in thought, “That leaves the question of what was he doing either in the room or maybe outside that she was forced to watch.” Naruto stated making them all look at the various pictures.

“Well aside from signs he cleaned and went through the area, nothing. She’s turned away from the destruction, she’s turned away from the mirror, and she’s turned away from everything except a blank side of the room.” Morgan stated not seeing anything and Naruto frowned.

“There is one thing.” Naruto stated making everyone look and he held up a photo of the room, “This window.” He stated pointing to the window to the far side of the bed, “Now, that adds another characteristic to him, in addition to making them see him after they died, he could also look at them at any time. Maybe from his own home or from a work position.” He stated before frowning as he went through the photos, “Damn, there’s no outside street photos.” Naruto stated as he looked to the two senior members of the team, “Is it possible for someone to accompany me to the different crime scenes so I can see the outside area? It might give me a perspective on what he could have been doing to see the victims but also not draw a lot of attention.”

“I’ll take him.” Elle stated since she knew someone of the team had to go with him.

“Alright, the rest of us will head to the station to start coordinating with the police.” Gideon stated making them all nod as they knew they’d have to hurry since the Unsub was only going to give a day or two at the most before he struck again.

**_San Diego_ **

Elle and Naruto were driving to the first scene while the others went to the Police Station housing the task force for the Tommy Killer case. After landing, JJ informed them that the story was run after the fourth victim when he started leaving the messages showing he wanted attention.

“So what made you start doing what it is you do?” Naruto asked and Elle merely glanced at him before turning back to the road, “Okay then, well how about a trade, I’ll answer any question you have if you answer one of mine?” Naruto asked as he turned to look out the window.

“How do I know you will answer honestly?” Elle asked with a look while Naruto smirked.

“How do I know you will?” Naruto countered making Elle smirk as she drove.

“Alright, my mom was killed in a robbery went I was 8 and my dad was a cop for over 20 years before he was killed when I was 18. I decided that I was tired of letting people die because of criminals and when I learned the FBI handled the worst of the worst of people who targeted dozens if not hundreds of people, I joined the academy.” Elle explained and Naruto nodded, “And you? What got you started with the life you chose?”

Naruto sighed, “It… It chose me actually. My dad was military and started moving us around when my mom left with her boss and his money. In each place we stayed he had me trained in various things including psychology and hand to hand combat. He also took me on the various hunting trips that only veteran hunters would take to ensure I knew how to survive in any area as well as trust my instincts, follow tracks, and be able to hide when necessary. This life came when my father was murdered by someone I thought was my best friend and he nearly killed me. Turns out my so called best friend was a serial killer and got off on torturing men and raping women until they were nothing more than pieces of meat to be used for his enjoyment. My dad suspected something and got killed, while my girlfriend was raped before I interrupted and tried to kill him. He surprised me during the struggle and tortured me for a bit before I got free and killed him. From then on, I started hunting anyone like him.” Naruto stated making Elle feel bad for bringing it up.

“I’m sorry, was your girlfriend able to return to normal?” Elle asked and Naruto merely glanced at her.

“There is no normal after that experience. She’s just learned to adapt to how things are now and go from there.” Naruto stated as they arrived at the first scene and Naruto got out of the car before looking up and down the street and around the area taking in everything.

“What do you see?” Elle asked as Naruto looked around.

“It’s what I don’t see. The victim’s window can’t see the street, the other houses, or anything from that position plus how she was laying. That means the typical people that would blend in such as mailmen, garbage truck drivers, delivery men, even cops can be ruled out just based on this location alone. Especially since cops could just knock on the door and be let in, no breaking in necessary. What the window would allow her to see is the trees right there and the telephone pole, which narrows the possibilities to gardeners that do trees, tree cutters, telephone repair men, and anyone doing maintenance on the power lines going by as well.” Naruto stated looking around, “I mean think about it, no one notices a gardener digging or mowing the lawn, a man up on a ladder cutting tree branches, or a guy up a telephone pole, it’s such an everyday occurrence that no one notices.” Naruto stated looking up and down the area.

“Ok but what about the kit he’d need? Glue, duct tape, and wire?” Elle asked since that would help limit things.

“No, all four would share that. Duct tape is used for cheap repairs on equipment, to bind flowers together instead of twine so as they grow they just break the tape, and it’s used to bundle branches easily and cheaply since the cord typically used can snap easily. Wire is used for securing plants, fixing hanging plants, and the obvious of doing repairs with the phone and such. Glue is used for fixes, quick treatments, and is even used for some planters to ensure animals don’t dig the stuffing from the planters.” Naruto explained making Elle frown since that didn’t help limit the choices further, “As for not wanting to make a mess, even gardeners would be put under suspicion if there was blood on their clothes and a repair man would have a uniform that would be extra scrutinized. Plus there’s the woman in his life making his life even worse if she has to get blood out of his clothes.” Naruto further explained making Elle sigh, “Hey, we limited the possibilities to just four possible professions, what are the odds all the homes had more than one of them working the area within a week of the murders?” Naruto stated making Elle nod at his point, “Of course we’ll need to check the other places as well.”

Elle nodded as they got back in the car and drove to the second scene just a little ways off and found the same situation followed by the third scene. With the sixth scene being closer, they decided to head there and got there just as Gideon, Morgan, and a Detective Martin arrived, “Hey guys, Naruto and I hit three of the scenes, if our theory about him wanting the victims to see him after they died is correct, then he’s gotta be a gardener, tree cutter, telephone repairman, or electrician. Nothing else has line of sight to where the victims are.” Elle reported as Gideon nodded and looked at Morgan.

“Get our girl Friday on the job, have her look through to see if any of those people were around the different victims’ homes. Tell her it could be as much as 5 days prior.” Gideon ordered making Morgan nod before Gideon’s phone rang, “Yeah Hotch?... Attempted?... Alright, well let us know if you get a suspect.” Gideon stated before hanging up.

“Suspect?” Detective Martin asked looking0000000000000000000000000000000 at Gideon.

“There may have been an attempted attack near the station.” Gideon stated as the detective turned to leave.

“Hey man hold up, at least let us have the keys to this place so we can look while you go there.” Naruto stated making him shrug and toss Naruto the keys, “Ok, and the guy came in through the back?” The detective nodded and mentioned an opened window, “Elle, this woman is gonna be traumatized, why don’t you go with the detective so there’s at least one woman there to talk to her?” Naruto suggested making Elle nod as she tossed Gideon the car keys and left with the detective.

“Shall we?” Gideon asked as Morgan went around the back to look for the entry point. Naruto nodded and entered through the door taking note of everything. Naruto then went upstairs to the bedroom and looked around a bit before laying in the same spot the victim was, “What do you see?” Gideon asked as he looked around seeing the message on the mirror and all the destroyed items.

“I see the top of their flower bushes and a telephone pole, which means that we can cut out tree cutters since they wouldn’t be maintaining the flowers. The common denominator so far besides the women being upscale women is the telephone poles and possible gardening areas.” Naruto stated as he got up, “And did you notice some of these things on her dresser?” Naruto asked making Gideon turn and see some candles, cheap vases, and a few family pictures.

“What about them?” Gideon asked not seeing the significance.

“Two of those frames are silver plated and custom made, yet he didn’t break them, why?” Naruto stated knowing those things could cost a pretty penny.

“Maybe he didn’t know? He went for the obvious signs of wealth and status but not the lower radar versions.” Gideon stated as he looked at the destroyed pile.

“Or he couldn’t stand the thought of destroying that family moment, could mean he’s dedicated to family even if the woman in his life is related to him in some way.” Naruto stated making Gideon frown in thought as he turned back to the mirror.

“Well based on this being about the riches being useless, I think your analysis about him being a lesser class than the victims was correct.” Gideon stated as Morgan came in.

“Our boy has to be at least somewhat physically in shape, even with my capabilities I had to be careful with my footing or I’d fall.” Morgan stated as Gideon saw a video was in the VCR.

“She was doing steparobics.” Gideon stated making Naruto frown before looking under the bed and felt the carpet finding it was vacuumed soft.

“Well, he certainly spent a ton of time here.” Naruto stated making them frown, “You know, if that attempt that the others are looking at isn’t connected to Tommy, we could use it to make him contact us. If we tell the media we captured someone in connection to his crimes, he’ll be pissed off enough to make contact and gloat over how stupid we are. He’s gone through a lot of trouble to make sure that the police knew he was out there and hunting women. If someone starts taking credit for his actions then he’ll be furious.” Naruto stated making Gideon smirk and Morgan nod.

After discussing a few more things, the trio went back to the station, “Hey, the attacker in this case was black.” Elle stated making them frown.

“Well, that rules out Tommy, so we can still use this situation to lure out Tommy. Miss Garcia can do a trap and trace when he calls us to scream about how we don’t have him in custody yet.” Naruto stated making them nod.

**_Hours Later_ **

That night they were all gathered around the phones waiting for the call to come in while Naruto was sitting next to Reid and Elle, “God, I hate waiting.” Elle complained sitting and waiting.

“Could be worse, at least we’re waiting during a time we know he can’t be hunting for another woman.” Naruto stated making her concede his point while Reid looked to be in thought, “What’s on your mind, Reid?” Naruto asked making him blink.

“Do you think it’s weird that I knew that ballad?” Reid asked making Naruto raise an eyebrow.

“No weirder than me knowing it.” Naruto replied and Reid frowned.

“Do you think that’s why I can’t get a date?” Reid asked in genuine curiosity.

“Reid, have you ever asked anyone out?” Naruto asked and Reid frowned in thought before looking at him.

“No.” Reid stated and Naruto chuckled as he shook his head.

“That’s why you can’t get a date Reid, you kinda need to ask a girl out in order to get a date.” Naruto laughed while Elle chuckled as well while Reid merely nodded.

They broke from their discussion when the phone rang and Detective Martin answered before waving them to the phone, “YOU STUPID, INCOMPETENT, ARROGANT, SONS OF BITCHES! I _DON’T_ MAKE MISTAKES! I AM DEATH! YOU HEAR ME?!? _I_ AM DEATH. You’ll see now, you’ll ALL see tomorrow. Mark my words, you _will_ see. And while I’m taking her, I’m going to be thinking of you.” A male voice shouted on the phone before the resulting click was heard.

Naruto frowned at that while hearing JJ state they had nothing on the trace before Naruto came over to the phone and JJ handed it to him, “Miss Garcia.” Naruto stated as he heard frantic and annoyed mumblings on the phone.

“Who is this?” Garcia asked testily as she was working.

“This is Naruto.” Naruto stated making her pause, “Look, I think I can help you with what went wrong, check into the substations. One of the occupations we suspected the Unsub could be is a phone technician. If he is, then he could easily route the phone call through any number of substations to kill any possibility of tracing it.” Naruto stated making many raise their eyebrows in surprise.

“Y-yes, he could, I will get right on that of checking the source for the call.” Garcia stated glad she had a working point to do.

“Alright, and if it’s true he went through the substations then immediately cross reference repairs in the area of the victims up to a week prior to the killings and look for overlapping names.” Naruto stated making the others nod since that would work.

“Will do sugar, I’ll call back the moment I have any information.” Garcia stated hanging up and so did Naruto.

“Alright, well he’s not gonna strike tonight so we should all try to get some sleep before getting here bright and early to canvas as much of the street as possible until Garcia can get us anything. Captain we’re going to need every officer available and some undercover vehicles for the team” Hotch stated making the team, the Captain, and most of the extra cops nod in understanding since if they were exhausted tomorrow then they were going to be no help to anyone.

**_Next morning_ **

Naruto was out with Gideon in the car waiting for word from anyone since they were now looking for any telephone repairmen acting suspicious. Garcia informed them she was close to finding if the substations was used and had a list of the repairmen ready to cross reference the moment she had confirmation, “This is gonna be like finding a specific needle in a pile of needles until Garcia gives us a definitive answer.” Naruto stated making Gideon snort in amusement since it was accurate, a needle would stand out in a haystack and their unsub didn’t stand out.

The two continued sitting quietly looking around the area for any kind of sign while just idly looking around as the time ticked by, “Huh, a black-headed grosbeak.” Naruto idly commented making Gideon look up at the electric wires seeing a bright orange bird.

“Yeah, a male.” Gideon commented idly, “You enjoy birds?” He asked looking around more.

Naruto shrugged, “At times, mostly just feeling a little jealous. They can fly wherever they please, never hunt each other for sport or enjoyment, able to take in the beauty of anything they see without worry of someone ruining it. Sometimes I wonder if we’re as evolved as we like to think we are when compared to other animals.” Naruto commented making Gideon nod since he felt the same way sometimes.

They broke from their musings as Naruto’s phone rang, “Hello? Alright, call Morgan and Reid and tell them to get to the company and find where he’s at.” Naruto stated before hanging up, “We got a name, Franklin Graney. Reid and Morgan are heading to his work right now to get us a location.” Naruto told him getting him to start the car and drive to possibly find the vehicle while Naruto called Hotch and the precinct.

10 minutes later had them at the corner of Orange and Chandler with everyone starting to canvas the houses while Naruto went with Gideon after Hotch tossed him his backup firearm while a cop stayed near Graney’s truck.

It didn’t take them long before they found an open gate and entered hearing a toddler crying. However, Gideon drew his gun upon seeing a tool belt on the counter and called Hotch, “875 Orange, Hotch. Backdoor, quickly.” He stated while Naruto calmed the kid shushing him and giving him his juice before following Gideon upstairs.

As they moved, Gideon took his time trying to be quiet as they heard Franklin yelling at the woman about how he’s overlooked everywhere he goes.

However, both cringed as one of the floorboards squeaked under Gideon’s foot and hearing Graney stop speaking and they quickly went to the door and opened it finding Graney holding a gun to a woman’s head, “I’ll shoot her.” Graney stated seriously and Naruto smirked.

“No you won’t, Franklin.” Naruto stated calmly while looking at Graney as he lowered his gun making Gideon glance at him.

“I will.” Graney stated seriously not sure how to deal with this.

“If you do then we’ll both shoot you. Then you’ll never be able to take credit for being the Tommy Killer and we won’t tell anyone that you’re him. You’ll simply fade away never to be looked at or heard from again. A few fanatics will look up your work but then no one will care anymore. However if you surrendered right now, well then your face will be all over the news because of the arrest and then the trial. Then once you’re in prison and news spreads further, you’ll start getting fan letters, gifts, phone calls, people wanting to meet you, study you, learn from you, maybe even love you. They’ll tell their friends and they’ll tell their friends to the point that you’ll have an army of followers wanting to know you and meet you. But all of that goes away if you kill that woman, so how about you drop that gun and stop being invisible to the world?” Naruto stated while Graney was practically salivating at the idea and quickly dropped the gun and put his hands behind his head as Hotch and Elle came in.

Naruto knelt before he woman and took the tape off her mouth while Gideon took the tape off her hands and feet. Elle cuffed Graney while Naruto then handed Hotch his gun back as he assured the woman that her son was ok. Making her sob out thank you over and over.

**_Two Days later_ **

Naruto was back in prison after arriving back and being taken in by the marshals again. Currently he was being led to a stock room for his private visitor and was unchained before being allowed in.

Naruto smirked at the sight before him as Kurenai was standing there in a black lace bra and panties over a black lace garter that was connected to black stockings under a pair of black “come fuck me” heels and she smiled seductively at him, “Oh no, is the cruel prisoner going to do something evil to me?” She asked in fake concern as Naruto approached her and grabbed the back of her head roughly making her smile more.

“Perhaps, depends on how good a girl you are.” Naruto stated before kissing her and lifting her by her ass causing her to wrap her slender legs around him as he carried her to the bed intending to remind Kurenai why he was more than just a client and just how much he loved her. Though she probably wouldn’t be able to walk properly for day or two.

Meanwhile at BAU, Hotch was on a conference call with Strauss, Director Fickler, and a few other names for the Bureau, “So Agent Hotchner, what is your opinion on the usefulness of Naruto Namikaze?” Strauss asked as they all listened.

“He’s a bit rough around the edges but not anymore than some of our own agents. He offers unique insight to the criminals and has an extreme attention to detail that allowed us to get a more in depth look into the unsub. Within 20 minutes of the flight he had managed to narrow our suspect possibilities to only a set group and even gave specific areas to look into for them. After observing one crime scene he was able to narrow the possible suspects down to four professions, then down to three after another crime scene, and then down to one after the suspect made contact out of anger. He then had an intricate working of the mind of the unsub to talk him into surrendering thus saving a woman’s life. It shows he doesn’t need to kill the unsubs as we find them and was merely killing the previous ones out of a sense of justice.” Hotch reported to his superiors.

“That’s all well and good Agent Hotchner, but as a team leader and not a profile what is your opinion on him?” Director Fickler asked since he needed to know if the man could work with the team.

“He’s not specialized sir, before he was captured Naruto hunted every kind of Unsub there is and took down them all. Each member of my team specializes in a specific area while having knowledge of others, Naruto would fill in gaps we have as well as teach us new ways of reading suspects and hunting them. If he isn’t assigned to my team I would say giving him to an international team or a Red Cell. I personally think he will be invaluable to the team as a whole and can be trusted, which my team will learn as they work with him as it’s not easy to ask FBI agent to trust a serial killer.” Hotch stated honestly since even when Naruto was captured, Naruto didn’t try to escape or try to bargain for freedom.

“Alright then, I will talk with Agent Gideon in the morning for his opinion and if he has no objections then Naruto Namikaze will become a permanent consultant of the Bureau so long as his side of the agreement is met.” Fickler stated making the others give their agreement.

“Sir, before you go, I would also like to have Naruto certified to carry a firearm.” Hotch stated getting silence as an answer for a few moments.

“Why is that Agent?” Fickler asked wanting to know the reasoning.

“Sir, Naruto is too valuable for us to leave in a car, at a station, or at a hotel when going after a suspect. He also can’t go out there unarmed, though if I had to guess I’d say he’s as dangerous without a gun as he is with one just from his understanding of a suspect’s mind. However, I would personally feel better if had the knowledge that he was armed and didn’t need to take my backup piece when we were in the field.” Hotch informed making Fickler hum in thought.

“I will consider it agent, as well as getting Agent Gideon’s input as well.” Fickler stated with Hotch giving his agreement before the call ended.

Hotch sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He hoped that sticking his neck out for Naruto wouldn’t come back to bite him. Both he and Gideon highly respected Naruto for his methods, the killing part notwithstanding, and had been two of the primary people to interview him since he was captured.

He shook those thoughts away to finish his paperwork and get home to his wife and son. After all, tomorrow was another day and another case they’d have to solve.”

**Done! Hope you all enjoyed this since it was easy and fun to write.**

**Anyway next chapter is the episode Broken Mirror with the twin daughters of the big shot lawyer.**

***I know that the U.S. only has one supermax prison (that the government has told us anyway) but it is in Colorado and I couldn’t get the right flow for how things would work if Naruto was there, but I also couldn’t see him being put in anything less.**

**Anyway that’s all so I’ll see you guys next time. Please leave a review.**


	2. The Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The daughter of a high profile attorney is kidnapped, now the team has to protect the other daughter while dealing with an obsessive unsub.

**Hey everyone, welcome back.** **I’m just going to put this out there, you will not see the other Naruto girls coming in for a bit. Some are due to Naruto not meeting them yet and others are for reasons that will come in later. So expect Kurenai to be the primary Naruto girl you see around here for now.**

**However, there are some episodes of Criminal Minds I will be skipping as there’s just no way to do it differently from canon as it involves situations that couldn’t be changed even with Naruto’s help and I don’t want to just give you guys canon with Naruto saying some lines instead of one of the main team members. I will make reference to any episodes I skipped and reference them in the chapters that take place after those episodes.**

**Next, I know Naruto was kinda taking the main point of all the profiling in the first chapter, but that was partly because of once you see the episode entirely you question how they didn’t notice a few things and since in the episode they didn’t notice till a ways in, I had Naruto notice quickly. As any of you who have watched/watched the show after I made the chapter know, there was no real different outcome other than they were more prepared after the call didn’t work. Plus Naruto’s position on the team is that he can fully get in the minds of the unsubs and not specialize like Morgan or Elle did.**

**Oh, and don’t let the name of the chapter fool you, there is no actual demon in this chapter. You’ll understand when you read.**

**Well, that should be it, let’s get the show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item..**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 2: The Demon**

**Season 1, Episode 5: Broken Mirror**

**Episode Quotes: When love is in excess, it brings a man no honor, nor any worthiness. – Euripedes**

**When a good man is hurt, all who would be called good, must suffer with him. – Euripides**

**_Quantico: Outside Gun Range: Two weeks since last chapter*_ **

Naruto was standing there bored as the marshals argued with Hotch, Gideon, and the supervisors of the area since Naruto was here to get certified to carry a gun in the field and thus he needed to be unchained and allowed to properly handle the gun. Of course the marshals didn’t want to do that since they were a pain in the ass about him being a killer and couldn’t be trusted with a loaded firearm while the rest of the team just watched waiting to see what was going to happen, though Morgan was giving Reid a bit of a hard time by questioning him about his “date” with JJ at the Red Skins game that Gideon gave him tickets to for his birthday.

Naruto finally sighed since it took two weeks just to get this allowed with the higher ups in the Bureau and now this was causing a headache. Wanting to just get this done, Naruto moved over and pulled a paperclip off a file that one of the assistant types were holding and unfolded a part of it before messing with his cuffs. Reid noticed and raised his eyebrows in surprise while Elle noticed and smirked as Naruto worked for a minute or so.

Just as the marshals were about to try and argue more, Naruto walked up and put his cuffs and chains in their hands before walking to the firing line. Naturally, this caused the marshals to gawk at him as he merely looked at the different guns laid out for him, “Alright kid, I was told to let you do this so I better be impressed if you want me to sign off on your qualification.” The range leader, a man named Sam Lane, stated not expecting much from Naruto as everyone put on the earmuffs.

Naruto shrugged and grabbed a Colt 1911 and loaded it before seeing different metal humanoid targets and smirked before bringing the gun up and started firing at each target hitting each target in the head before he quickly ejected the empty mag and loaded the new one seamlessly still putting each bullet at the head of the targets.

When the clips were gone for the 1911, Naruto switched to the Barretta m9 and put more bullets into the heads of the targets where dents were starting to form. Meanwhile Sam was just watching stunned along with the others as Naruto put round after round in the same spots while making the transition between mags seamless. Even Morgan was amazed since not even veteran cops could reload and shoot that accurately.

Naruto then switched to the M16 and used both the scope and the iron sights that were at an angle to hit the targets still hitting the same spot as the pistols even when doing three round bursts. This trend continued with revolvers, which Naruto loaded faster than any expert could; pistols, rifles, automatic guns, shotguns, and any other gun Naruto may ever need to use in the field with all but the shotguns making holes dead center of the foreheads of the metal figures. The shotguns he hit center mass with slugs and pellets and always had at least one hit where the heart would be.*

When Naruto felt he had proved his point, he removed the empty clip from the last rifle he used and set both on the table with his earmuffs. Before turning and looking at Sam, “Good enough?” Naruto asked with a grin as he took the chains and handcuffs from the marshals and began redoing them himself, “I’ll just assume I’ll be allowed to carry a gun. I’d prefer a Glock .34 or 26, 92 Barretta, or a Browning High Power if possible or at least a Colt 1911, not a Sig Sauer. As a backup piece if able, I’d prefer a Colt Official Police, Walther P99, or a Smith & Wesson 586.” Naruto stated as he was chained up again, “I’ll see you when we get a case.” Naruto stated walking back to the car before whistling getting the marshals to wake up and follow him.

“Damn, I’ve seen professional marksman not even do a quarter as good as that.” Sam stated still seeing the burning hot holes he left in the targets.

Elle leaned over to Reid, “Maybe you should ask him to train you before your next qualification test.” Elle stated making Reid nod slightly since they were all in shock and awe of what Naruto had just done. Hell, Morgan’s mouth was still hanging open, which Elle was going to give him a hard time on for a long time.

Gideon and Hotch merely looked at the scene before Gideon smirked, “Well, at least we know he’ll hit whatever he’s aiming at.” Gideon stated knowing that Naruto could put every one of their trained snipers to shame if it came down to it. It also gave them the luxury of having a sniper handy if they ever needed one.

“I’d say so.” Hotch stated wondering how anyone could shoot like that at a young age and hadn’t used a gun in over 4 years. It was just one of the many questions that made up the enigma that was Naruto.

Hotch broke from his musings as his cell rang, “Hello?... What?... Alright, get copies of the note and everything to Quantico ASAP.” Hotch stated hanging up, “Morgan, get those Marshals back here, we’ve got a priority case.” Hotch stated making Morgan run off to stop the Marshals from leaving, “Trish Davenport, the daughter of USDA Evan Davenport, was kidnapped last night.” Hotch stated as they went back to the office.

**_An hour later_ **

The group was assembled in the conference room as the images of the ransom note were there on the screen and the fact that they only had just under 9 hours with the handwriting being Trish’s and her tears were on it, “Well, if he’s saying you each time that means he’s not taking this as a sign of him being responsible. Which means that he feels if anything happens to Trish, then it’s not on him, it’s Mr. Davenport’s fault. Which also means that he could be making this personal, that he dislikes Davenport on an extreme level either feeling he’s been wronged by him in some way or because he feels that whatever Davenport has isn’t rightfully his.” Naruto stated since every demand and section of the letter had You as the start and no I.

“There’s also no mention of the police, which is usually a common mention.” Morgan stated making them frown.

“Could be he’s either brazen enough that he doesn’t care if cops are involved, he’s not dumb enough to think a sitting US attorney won’t get the police involved, or he’s just fully expecting cops and has already anticipated it.” Naruto stated making the others nod.

“Well, if we’re expected, then let’s not be rude and not show up.” Gideon stated heading out to get his bag while the others did too.

On the way out, they paused at the elevators upon seeing Naruto’s lawyer Kurenai there, “Kure-chan, what’s up?” Naruto asked with his bag on his shoulder.

“I just wanted you to know she’s home safely and resting. I’ll be staying home for a few days except if I need to see you.” Kurenai stated making Naruto nod with a smile and kiss her surprising the others.

“Thanks Kure-chan. Keep her safe for me.” He stated making her nod as he walked by and got in the elevator with the others quickly doing the same.

On the way down, Morgan decided to break the silence, “So-“ He started before Naruto cut him off.

“She doesn’t have a sister.” Naruto stated making him be quiet.

“How long-“ Elle started before Naruto cut her off.

“Since I was 18 and she was 19. Stayed together ever since.” Naruto stated making her nod before Reid then spoke up.

“Who was she-“ Reid started before being cutoff.

“My first girlfriend. She’s in therapy twice a week after a traumatic ordeal that happened a few years ago. And no, I won’t go into details about it.” Naruto stated making Elle flinch slightly since she knew what the ordeal was.

“And Kurenai doesn’t mind-“ Hotch started before Naruto shook his head.

“No, she doesn’t. She has no reason to mind and the two are quite close especially after what happened.” Naruto stated making most of the team nod while Elle frowned in confusion since that would mean Kurenai and the first girl knew each other before the incident with Naruto’s best friend, but how old could he have been when it happened and how long before he and the first girl broke up and he was with Kurenai?

She may have to ask him the next time she got the chance. The others kept quiet as they descended before heading for the cars for the airport.

**_30 minutes later_ **

Once takeoff and cruising altitude were achieved, Hotch addressed everyone, “Is everyone familiar with the father?” Hotch asked making them all nod even Naruto since he was one of the ones that prosecuted Naruto and drew up the deal for him.

“The file says Trish refused protection when she turned 18, which was bad luck for the boyfriend since he was shot in the face, and has a sister, are they close?” Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, they’re identical twins.” Naruto stated showing a picture, “But that also raises the question of if the unsub just grabbed whoever they found first or if they intentionally grabbed Trish whether because they wanted her or because they thought it was Cheryl. If it’s either of the latter two then the ransom could be a trap or a quick solution byplay to get attention off of him taking the girl.” Naruto stated making them frown and nod.

“That’s going to be a concern, but what that means is we keep eyes on Cheryl 24/7 so long as this case is going on. She goes nowhere without a member of our team with her.” Gideon stated making them nod as Naruto thought.

“There’s also one more possibility.” Naruto stated making them look at him, “He could be a collector. If he is, then that gives us a massive edge since he’s gonna want the matching pair and that means no matter the threats he makes, he won’t kill Trish since that would make it impossible to get the collection he wants.” Naruto stated making them nod since that would give them more room to work since an offender that won’t kill his target is one that can be tempted and possibly baited into losing easily.

“That just makes it even more imperative that we keep one of us with Cheryl at all times. If the unsub wants to try and get close to her then he has to go through us.” Hotch stated making them nod, “Alright when we land, Elle, you and Naruto go to the scene since Naruto could probably get a fix on what the unsub was thinking when attacking. The rest of us will go to the house and help with the set up and prepping Davenport, but Morgan I also want you to have Garcia start running in depth background checks on the various people Davenport lets into his home repeatedly. If there’s even a delivery man that makes routine stops to his house then I want to know about it.” Hotch stated making them nod as they continued going over everything.

**_Road near Crime Scene_ **

Elle and Naruto were driving along taking in the view and seeing the path that would normally be taken to get home by Trish while Naruto was now in a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a jacket on the back of the seat with jeans and boots still. However, Elle was also thinking back on what Naruto said involving Kurenai, “Naruto, about what you said involving Kurenai and your first girlfriend.” Elle started not sure how to finish the question.

“I didn’t break up with her if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m in a dedicated relationship as she and Kurenai took to calling it.” Naruto stated looking at the road since he was driving making Elle frown.

“What exactly does that mean?” Elle asked and Naruto chuckled.

“It means I’m in an intimate relationship with more than one woman and they all know about it and are fine with it.” He stated making her gawk at him and he chuckled, “It wasn’t my idea though. After the attack, my girlfriend Karin and I spent every moment possible together: sleeping, eating, showering, you name it. However there were times I did have to leave so our closest friend Kurenai would stay with her and bond with her. Over time two of our other friends took up the job of helping too whether making meals, helping with the house, etc etc until they eventually moved in and we were all sleeping and cuddling together to make Karin feel safe.” Naruto stated making Elle nod since that didn’t sound abnormal.

“Then how did it-“ Elle started before Naruto chuckled again.

“Well, Karin felt she was ready to have sex after the trauma and wanted Kurenai to join in in case she panicked and because she actually noticed Kurenai looking at me the same way Karin herself did and wanted Kurenai to be happy. We both were uncomfortable through it until the moment started to take over and the three of us kept it as a dedicated threesome for a while before they decided to add the other girls to the fun after both walked in on us, one later on actually confessed to me and then kissed me, and the other was a bit of drunken fun plus some strip poker.” Naruto stated chuckling slightly as each girl wasn’t willing to stop unless Karin wanted it since they were all there for her the entire time.

Elle for her part was stunned that a group of women were willing to share the same man in an intimate relationship and not just a no strings attached kind of deal, “Don’t get me wrong, me and two of them were fine with a no strings attached deal since Karin wanted me to have some… fun as she put it while she was recovering from the attack and it just changed over time. She and the others still feel that way at times even when I adamantly stated I’d never sleep with anyone else… then they went and got me a pair of strippers for my birthday before I was locked up, then they left the house for a while, and told me to have fun. I obliged and told them everything we did since I promised them I’d always be honest and give full disclosure on anything they wanted to know without holding back… same night they took me up to the room and we didn’t come out till the next afternoon.” Naruto stated with a smile while Elle blushed a bit and hit his arm playfully.

“I don’t need to hear exaggerating bragging.” She stated with a glare only for Naruto to chuckle as they pulled up and Naruto turned the car off.

“Who said I was exaggerating or bragging? You asked and I gave the honest answer.” Naruto stated with a grin as he got out leaving Elle staring wide eyed and blushing since a guy that could handle two professionals and then four women without a break was something that many women would kill to have as a significant other.

She quickly shook those thoughts away and got out of the car before walking down beside Naruto and saw Cheryl Davenport lying on the ground. Naruto walked up and stood beside some of the security personnel, “Let me guess, you guys are just glad she’s in line of sight?” Naruto asked making them nod while they sipped their coffee making Naruto smirk since he could only guess how many times the twins had ditched their security to get out without them.

“Cheryl Davenport?” Elle asked before Naruto motioned for her to be quiet.

“Hang on please, I just need a minute.” Cheryl stated as she lied there on the ground, “And no, I’m not crazy, I _am_ lying here for a reason.” She continued as she laid there a few more moments before standing up, “He grabbed her and dragged her from the car.” She stated as she took a few steps, “This is where she fell. Trish is a fighter so she wouldn’t have gone quietly. Even with a gun pointed at her.” Cheryl stated as she dusted herself off.

“She’s not wrong, there’s marks on the ground showing a struggle as well as in the car.” Elle stated as Cheryl walked up to them.

“Siblings, not just twins can always tell what the sibling did or felt in a situation because of the knowledge they have. Twins are just more susceptible to it since they’ve literally been together most of if not all of their lives. Cooped up next to each other for nine months straight, sharing warmth, food, and protection can make that bond even stronger. So I’m not at all surprised you can know certain things without knowing why aside from knowing her.” Naruto stated making Cheryl smile appreciatively since most just went with the ‘oh they’re twins so they have the telepathy bullcrap everyone talks about’ excuse.

“Thank you.” Cheryl stated making Naruto nod.

“Alright, can everyone back the cars up to the intersection please? I want to look over the scene in its entirety without the vehicles getting in the way.” Naruto asked and clarified making the security shrug and back the cars up 20 feet or so as Elle led Cheryl to over by the car.

Naruto then began looking at the different vantage points and cover over the area as he walked around looking while narrowing his eyes at some places. Cheryl for her part was confused as Elle stood there watching, “What’s he doing?” Cheryl asked after having seen him not really looking for evidence but looking around the area, narrowing his eyes, and even closing them a few times before letting out a sigh.

“He’s roleplaying, getting inside the unsub’s mind by examining his behavior.” Elle stated knowing Naruto did this better than anyone on the team after the couple cases they had had in the past two weeks.

“How does that work exactly?” Cheryl asked with some skepticism in her voice.

“It’s pretty much the same way psychologists know how a patient will act or react to certain things. Only Naruto is much more skilled at it because of some of his background and methods. Where members of my team specialize in certain types of offenders, Naruto just specializes on offenders and can get inside their head better than anyone.” Elle stated as Naruto turned to looked at the patch of road that led to the curve they were at and Cheryl could see a slight change in Naruto’s eyes from when he was talking to her before. It was minute and possibly her imagination, but there was a difference.

“What exactly lets him do that so easily?” Cheryl asked since from how Elle made it sound, he wasn’t trained to do this.

“Naruto is… complicated and I only know part of the story for how he can do what he does. If you’re that interested then maybe try asking him since it’s his story to tell. Just know that he’s gonna do everything in his power to get your sister back safely.” Elle stated making Cheryl nod slightly before looking back at Naruto.

Naruto moved back into the bush and trees that were by the curve waiting there a minute before he walked slowly and carefully like he didn’t want to be seen by someone that only he could see. He then went low and reached into the air near him like he was pulling something out and then moved to the opposite tree and bush area. He then waited there a few moments before walking up and made a gun sign with his thumb and forefinger aiming at the invisible area he reached his arm into before firing. He then moved around an invisible obstacle and made it look like he was opening the door and grabbing someone while pointing the gun and then pulled and dragged the person to a car off the area.

Naruto then came back and seemed to be going back through what he just did before he sighed and pulled his phone out as he walked back to the car, “Hotch, we got a problem, the boyfriend wasn’t collateral damage. Everything at the scene tells me he could have easily incapacitated him and left him behind, instead he shot the guy point blank range in the face. He could have easily gotten in the backseat of the car waited a minute and then made him drive to wherever and kept both as hostages. There’s also the fact that the scene shows deep knowledge of Trish’s route meaning that he had to know the way she liked to go home or what the easiest method back to her home was and then cut it off to either stall them or get them into another ambush position. He wanted Trish and only Trish, at least at the time of attack, and he needlessly gave us a body, which means he had something personal against the boyfriend and wanted Trish alone and to himself. The two were rarely apart so he had to know that they were together if he was watching and planning when and how to take her.” Naruto stated sighing and rubbing his eyes while Cheryl was looking surprised he got that just from his little show.

“That’s not good, it means that it’s highly unlikely that he’ll let us get her back.” Hotch stated since that was a big problem.

“Yeah, but it also means that he’s unlikely to hurt Trish beyond anything she may have suffered to get her captured and under control. It’s not ideal but it’s cause for hope that Trish is alive and for the most part unharmed.” Naruto stated making Hotch hum in agreement, “Regardless, we’re on our way back with Cheryl and the security.” Naruto stated as he and Elle got in the car while Cheryl went with her security and Naruto put Hotch on speaker, “Also Hotch, we may need to brief Cheryl on talking with the guy, if he does in fact want Cheryl or wants both then chances are he’s gonna want to talk to her and not Davenport.” Naruto stated once he was sure Cheryl couldn’t hear him and Hotch frowned on the other end of the line.

“What do you suggest?” Hotch asked as they had limited options.

“Well we can’t put a stand-in on the phone since Cheryl and Trish have the same kind of voice, which means if we put a fake on then he’s gonna know about it and get pissed. Now I’m not saying we should let him talk to Cheryl, but we need to be prepared if we have no other choice.” Naruto stated as he started the car and drove to the Davenport residence.

“Alright, Elle can do it when you get here since coming from Elle may make Cheryl take this a bit more seriously since from what her father told us there are few men that Cheryl has ever actually listened to.” Hotch stated since if Elle could get through with her then the better and if not then they’d have to go from there.

“Got it, see you in a few.” Naruto stated before hanging up.

“I think you should prep her with me.” Elle stated making Naruto raise an eyebrow, “You already built a rapport with her just based on your opinion on her feelings and then showing her what you could do just from seeing a scene. It might help get some things across to her.” Elle stated making Naruto shrug since it was fine with him either way.

**_Later_ **

Naruto was sitting in the kitchen with Cheryl and Elle as Elle walked Cheryl through what could happen along with emphasizing that she needs to empathize with him, making sure he understood that she didn’t think he wanted to hurt Trish, that nothing so far was his fault, and that he can still give Trish back and not have to worry about anything. Cheryl seemed to be taking it all in as she grimaced a few times, which was understandable since Elle essentially was telling her to be nice to the creep who took her sister.

It wasn’t until Elle got up to check on if the others were ready did Cheryl speak to Naruto, “Agent Namikaze.” She started before Naruto raised a hand towards her.

“Just Naruto is fine, I’m not technically an agent.” Naruto stated making her nod.

“I-I know, I’m aware of who you are, but didn’t want to bring it up in front of the others. I saw your file by accident when I was looking for my dad in his office. I… I just wanted to know what you think my sister’s chances are, realistically I mean.” Cheryl stated and Naruto sighed.

“To be honest Cheryl, I don’t know because each offender is different and until we can get a further lock on what kind of guy we are dealing is, it’s just statistical bullshit that won’t give you any comfort.” Naruto explained making her sigh sadly, “The best way to get more info on the guy is to keep him on the line as long as possible. The more he speaks the more we learn about him and the kind of person he is.” Naruto stated making her nod slightly.

“Um, there’s something else, how is it that you can do what you do? Get inside the heads of these monsters and maniacs.” Cheryl asked while Elle walked back to them causing Naruto to be quiet a moment as he looked at his hands.

“My father used to tell me, “Son, everyone has a demon inside them. No matter how much they bury it, no matter how much they try to deny it, they all have one. Some embrace their demon and let it have fun while they watch the chaos ensue, others try to bury it so deep that it eventually claws out at the worst time possible and they lose control, and a rare few can actually control their demon. If you ever feel the need or desire to release your demon, you had better make sure that it’s for the right reason and that you don’t let the demon take over you.” I took those words to heart. In my dad’s case, the demon was in the boxing ring and the warzone, he’d let his opponents push him till it looked like he might lose and then he’d let the demon out and just tear them apart. The first time I did it was after my girlfriend was brutally attacked and I put her attacker in the ICU of a hospital when I should have killed him. My particular demon is one that can understand the very depths of the darkness that these psychos and monsters dwell and thrive in. I use my demon to understand them so I can hunt and find them and it’s worked for keeping the demon at bay since there’s always another person who needs to be stopped, there’s always another person dwelling in the darkness happy to come out and try to drag others down to their level.” Naruto explained making her blink slightly since she could see where he was coming from.

“How do you deal with it? Knowing there’s always gonna be another one out there and that you’re gonna have to go into that dark place?” Cheryl asked since she wasn’t sure she could do that and Elle wasn’t sure either since she and the team more just brushed the surface of that darkness rather than diving in the snake pit living there.

“Because, if I don’t do it then who will? How many of these bastards will get away because I decided to stop? How many more innocent people will be caught by them because I’m not helping stop them sooner? Those questions have haunted me every time I thought about quitting, what if I have a child and a guy I could have stopped gets them? What if I work late and one of those bastards targets my wife? What if, what if, what if… it’s the most paralyzing question that can be asked under these kinds of circumstances. But seeing these bastards either put away or killed makes it that much easier because at the end of the day that because of me and the people like me, there’s one less of those people out in the world and that’s dozens if not hundreds of people that will get to live without worry about that particular creep.” Naruto stated since it was true and Cheryl could see where he was coming from.

Elle smiled a bit since she had doubts about the job sometimes but Naruto had a point, if everyone gave up because the job was hard, then the world would be overrun by those kinds of people and there would be no hope for the victims or their families. Could she or anyone else live with the thought of a killer, rapist, or pedophile getting away because they decided the job was too tough? She didn’t want to think of that and didn’t want to leave the job any time soon, but still it would be a good thing to remember when the job did start getting to her more than it did.

Naruto then looked at the clock and stood, “Come on, it’s almost time.” Naruto stated making Cheryl nod before they went to the living room where Reid was explaining the workings of the phone hookups.

“Remember, keep calm and agree with him.” Gideon stated making Davenport nod.

As the clock chimed, Davenport tensed and Naruto raised his hand to calm him, “Relax, he’s probably going to wait a minute or two just to make you tense and nervous so he can be more in control. Just breathe and try to calm your nerves. When it rings and you answer, make sure you repeat important information so he knows you want to understand exactly what he wants. The longer he’s on the phone the better.” Naruto stated making Davenport nod as he took a few breaths before the phone started ringing.

Naruto took a tablet and set it up next to Reid’s computer so they could make notes and track the dialogue along with any tells he gave away. After letting it ring a few times, Davenport answered, “This is Evan Davenport.” Davenport stated while trying to control the tremor in his voice.

 **“Hello Mr. Davenport.”** A clearly altered voice stated from the other end of the line and Naruto marked it since it could mean that Davenport would know the voice otherwise.

“Are you the man who has my daughter, Patricia?” Davenport asked trying to keep calm.

 **“Yes, I have your daughter.”** The person stated in an almost smug tone and Naruto marked it since it could mean he was proud of what he had done giving him a sense of accomplishment.

“Can I ask you-“ Davenport started before the voice cut him off.

 **“You may not and will not ask me anything. This is not an interrogatory discussion between two people of equal footing, this is you agreeing to listen and follow the instructions I give or you will never see your daughter again.”** The voice stated and Naruto marked it since he clearly doesn’t like being questioned.

“I understand.” Davenport stated trying to keep himself under control.

 **“Good, but I will not be giving my instructions to you.”** The voice stated making them get confused while Naruto narrowed his eyes.

“I-I don’t understand.” Davenport stated with the voice being quick to reply.

 **“I do not want to talk to you, Mr. Davenport.”** The voice stated before his speech grew raspy and heavy with breathing, **“I want to talk to her. I want to talk to Cheryl.”** The voice stated almost like he was drinking a cool glass of water in 100 degree weather.

Naruto narrowed his eyes further and quickly typed up that he was much more satisfied speaking to Cheryl and seemed to be getting a sexual release from the thought of her. Naruto knew this meant he wanted Cheryl just as bad as he wanted Trish and hit the mute button, “He’s not trying to establish dominance, he wants Cheryl. His voice became breath heavy and he spoke her name almost like merely thinking of her would send him to rapture.” Naruto stated making the team members nod while the two family members looked on in confusion, “Let him talk to her if only for a few minutes, it will make it easier to read him than it is now since she can empathize with him.” Naruto stated making Gideon sigh and rub his face a minute before nodding and Cheryl came over.

 **“Put Cheryl on the phone now or I will hang up and you will never hear from me or Patricia again.”** The voice stated and Naruto shook his head to the Davenports letting them know the unsub doesn’t mean it.

Cheryl nodded and clicked the phone back on, “This is Cheryl.” She stated and the unsub gave a sigh of pleasure at hearing her.

 **“Hello Cheryl, how are you doing?”** The voice asked as Naruto noted he was acting coy to try and play some game that Cheryl knew only in his head and showed he did know her.

“I’d be better if I knew my sister, Patricia, was alright. Is it possible to confirm that?” Cheryl stated then asked and the voice seemed to hum in amusement and something else.

 **“You know Cheryl, you seem to have a lot of empathy, like you care about others a great deal.”** The voice stated making Naruto narrow his eyes at him just happening to mention that just after Naruto stated Cheryl could empathize with him and quickly marked it.

“Yes, and I can tell from your voice that you do too.” Cheryl stated though the whole time she wanted to scream and curse him out since she despised him.

 **“You mean that I _Empathize_ with others? I guess I do, but really what I know is that you want your sister back with you.”** The voice stated as Naruto noted he seemed to only care about getting the chance to talk to Cheryl and being personal about it.

“Yes, I want Trish back safe.” Cheryl stated trying to make it so she wasn’t desperate or pleading since Naruto warned her that it could drive the unsub into causing some pain if he was that type of offender.

 **“Good. Good. Tell me all that you want, Cheryl. I’m very interested. Tell me _everything_. What’s your favorite color?”** The voice asked while Naruto noted it seemed like he was trying to flirt and get on Cheryl’s good side as well as learning about her… almost like he was treating this like a first date.

“I… If I tell you will you let me talk with Trish?” Cheryl asked making Naruto nod toward her as the unsub chuckled.

 **“Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how much empathy I feel like showing when you answer.”** The voice stated in a mocking/joking kind of tone almost like it was some kind of inside joke between the two.

Cheryl grit her teeth slightly before biting back the response she wanted to give, “I… I like blue. Specifically sapphire blue.” Cheryl stated and the unsub hummed on the other side.

 **“How… ordinary. Do you like chocolate, Cheryl?”** The voice asked making her look in confusion and Naruto narrowed his eyes more while noting he wanted some personal preferences about Cheryl almost like to prepare for something else or maybe find something more in common in his mind, **“Do…you…like…chocolate?”** The voice asked again deliberately speaking slowly.

“Yes.” Cheryl stated after a moment of silence.

 **“I do as well, we have so much in common.”** The voice stated while Cheryl was starting to lose her patience.

“Please, just let me talk to my sister.” Cheryl stated in an almost begging tone and silence was greeting them, “Please, I just want to hear her voice. Please.” Cheryl insisted still getting silence before a low squeak was heard, “Hello?” Cheryl asked with some hope.

“Cher… Cheryl is that you?” A female voice similar to Cheryl’s stated on the other line while Naruto noted the slurred speech and immediately noted she was drugged whether because he needed to control her or keep her from screaming was unknown.

“Trish! It’s me. I’m here.” Cheryl stated emotionally as she knew her sister was alive.

“Cher… I can’t…” Trish stated with the slur still there.

“Where are you? What do you see?” Cheryl asked desperately and Trish groaned slightly.

“I… I see the moon.” Trish stated before creaking was heard again making Cheryl widen her eyes in panic.

“Trish?!? Trish!” She stated frantically before the unsub came back on.

 **“Have 500,000 ready. $500,000 is what I am owed. The Davenports will wait by the phone. You will receive the call with precise instructions in 15 minutes.”** The voice stated over Cheryl’s begging to put Trish back on the phone before he hung up.

Cheryl looked at the others before walking off with tears going down her face and Elle quickly followed her along with Davenport, “Could you trace the call?” Gideon asked with a sigh and Reid shook his head.

“No. He’s probably using a disposable cell phone. They’re impossible to track.” Reid stated while rubbing his eyes a bit.

“She’s sedated as well, her words were slurred and her speech was hard. I’m guessing he did that so she couldn’t give away anything about him since she’s not blindfolded. Otherwise she never would have said she saw the moon.” Naruto stated making them all nod.

“If he’s drugging her, he’s either physically incapable of restraining her or he’s keeping her quiet along with what Naruto said about identifying him.” Morgan stated and Naruto sighed.

“It’s gotta be the latter, he was able to forcibly remove her from the car while kicking and fighting so force shouldn’t be an issue.” Naruto stated as he wrote something on a piece of paper and held it up, **_“There’s gotta be a bug. He talked about empathizing right after I said Cheryl could empathize with him.”_** It read making them all widen their eyes slightly before nodding as Naruto tore the paper and crumbled it up before putting it in his pocket.

“Has Davenport told us everything about his staff?” Gideon asked hoping to mislead the eavesdropper.

“Yeah, we have detailed reports but we should revisit background on staff, workers, and the current cases he’s got.” Hotch stated knowing what Gideon was doing.

“Guys, the issue is that she wasn’t blindfolded, meaning if he thinks we’re getting close or he gets the money, then he’ll kill her.” Morgan stated making them nod before they moved away from the phone and Naruto found Cheryl pouring a glass of wine and sighed before taking it and the bottle away.

“Look I get that alcohol isn’t the best choice, but do you think you could let it slide this time?” Cheryl stated making Naruto glance at her before putting the two items down.

“He’s gonna call back, he’s gonna want to talk to you and I’m willing to bet he’s gonna want you to deliver the money, which means we can’t have you being impaired at all or we risk losing you and Trish to this man. Do you want that?” Naruto asked making her sigh.

“I just don’t get doing this day after day.” Cheryl stated and Naruto smirked.

“Like I told you before, I worry about all the guys that would get away if I wasn’t doing my job. I mean would you prefer I had decided to not do this job and take away a person that could help you get your sister back?” Naruto asked making Cheryl look away seeing his point, “Look, it’s never easy and there are times that no one wants to do this job, but there’s nothing I’d rather do than put the bastards away where they can’t hurt someone again.” Naruto stated making her nod as they went back to the phone area.

When it rang, Davenport answered, “Hello?” He asked with a sigh coming from the other end.

 **“These are my instructions and they will be followed to the letter: Only Cheryl will handle the money. Cheryl will make the delivery. Only Cheryl will be in the car to make the delivery. If I see anyone following her or riding with her, if you deviate from my instructions, if I even suspect a setup, you will never see Trish again.”** The voice stated making Naruto narrow his eyes.

Once they were off to the side of the area, Morgan spoke, “We can’t send her alone, if he’s a collector or anything like that then he’s gonna want to take Cheryl too.” Morgan stated knowing that it would be easy to take another hostage and then make a bigger demand.

“There’s also the fact that the ransom demand was WAY too clean and cut. Just give him money delivered by Cheryl and no one follows her. He doesn’t demand that there be no tracking devices, no dye packs, no marked bills, no new bills, no consecutive serial numbers. He’s treating the money as the secondary objective to getting Cheryl alone and where he could get to her easily.” Naruto stated making them nod, “We do one car unmarked, tinted windows, and casual. We follow, wait for the drop or the attempted kidnapping, and then ambush him.” Naruto stated making them nod while Davenport had doubts but Cheryl was all for it since she wanted to get the bastard and get her sister back.

As Cheryl drove off, Naruto, Hotch, and Morgan waited a minute before following as they drove while Naruto was already planning what to do since the first step is probably to ditch the car to ensure no one is following her and no tracking device in the car.

Before long they arrived at a used car lot and Naruto frowned, before leaning in, “I’m gonna get out and circle around, he could either be waiting in one of the cars or in the lanes waiting to ambush.” Naruto stated making Hotch nod as Naruto got out the passenger side backdoor and stayed lowed as he closed it before moving slowly to the woods with his gun, a Browning High Power, out and ready as he took to a hill in the trees that overviewed the lot.

As he walked, he saw Cheryl getting out and walking down the isles slowly and saw no one near her, “Hotch, she’s moving towards the other end of the lot. My guess so he can either get out of there quickly or ensure that no one can see to follow.” Naruto stated over comms as he watched her till he saw a door open, “He’s here!” Naruto stated making Hotch slam the accelerator getting the car into the lot as the door closed and the suspect car tried to drive away only for Naruto to put three rounds into the windshield making it swerve out of the way before Morgan and Hotch fired as they tried to cut the car off.

It didn’t work well as the car still got away even after Naruto put another round into the driver side rear tire and the rear windshield. Naruto sighed as he holstered his gun and got down the hill to the others, “Did you hit him?” Hotch asked as they panted and Cheryl got off the ground.

“I don’t think so, I definitely scared him, but I don’t think I hit him.” Naruto stated as he pulled his shirt over his gun and checked on Cheryl before they drove back to the house. As they entered, Davenport came up to them, “Cheryl’s fine.” Naruto stated as Cheryl came in and hugged her father.

Naruto sighed as Gideon came up, “I think it’s time I took over and pushed this guy. He’s clearly interested in getting both Cheryl and Trish into his possession, so he’s definitely a collector. If I had to guess based on how he’s been towards Evan Davenport, I’d say the unsub has De Clarumbault Syndrome since we’ve ruled out everyone that could be seeing and interacting with them day after day.” Naruto stated making Gideon frown before the phone rang and Morgan clicked it on.

 **“Well, that was certainly exciting, wasn’t it Cheryl? Tell me you didn’t feel a thrill go down your spine as that occurred. But those smart FBI agents figured it out my plan. If they hadn’t I would have had you both, the matching pair of the set.”** The voice stated sounding out of breath.

“Why are you doing this?” Cheryl asked despite them telling her not to talk.

 **“Because you asked me to, Cheryl. You asked me with your glances, your little gestures, and the way you talked. You and Trish both asked for this, Cheryl! You both practically begged me to take you away. I’m just doing what you wanted!”** The voice stated getting defensive and angry.

Davenport, however, couldn’t keep quiet anymore and spoke, “What the hell do you want?” Davenport demanded making Naruto facepalm.

 **“What do I want? I want the two loves of my life together and mark my words Mr. Davenport, it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but we will be together and there is NOTHING you can do to stop it!”** The voice stated before hanging up and Naruto sighed as he walked to the kitchen still rubbing his face.

The others moved Davenport and Cheryl to the office area and began explaining how Cheryl couldn’t talk to him anymore because it was only feeding his delusions which stemmed from a syndrome that made people believe that some form of higher status person was in love with them. It’s never outright spoken, but they perceive it through gestures, movements, underlying speech patterns, and glances. Cheryl then explained how Trish and her boyfriend were getting engaged, which means that was probably the unsub’s stressor and what caused him to act.

They further explained that the unsub wholeheartedly believed that Trish and Cheryl are in love with him and wanted him to take them away with him, “S-so what do you do about this?” Davenport asked as Naruto came back in.

“We knock him off his game, which means I’m gonna have to talk to him now and both piss him off as well as empathize with him. I’ve got a clear cut read on this guy now that I know some of my theories are correct. We also can rule out anyone on your staff, but not anyone you’re associated with.” Naruto stated making the two frown.

“How can we do that?” Davenport asked and Naruto chuckled slightly.

“Well, to be blunt, everyone on your security and staff that’s here and male has been staring at Elle’s chest or her ass and have only glanced at your daughter when she enters or leaves a room. No longing staring, no discreet looks, no reactions to her other than recognition that she’s not a threat they need to worry about.” Naruto stated making Elle frown since it was getting a bit old for her, “As for those you’re associated with, well the unsub knew it was FBI that got in his way of getting Cheryl, yet we didn’t identify ourselves as FBI due to the situation. So how did he know we were FBI unless you either told him or he was part of the FBI?” Naruto stated making the two widen their eyes and nod.

“You said you were going to piss him off, won’t that be dangerous for Trish?” Cheryl asked in concern and Naruto shook his head.

“No, he’s too in love with you and Trish to consider hurting you anymore than he’d need to in order to get you in his possession. It’s why there was no blood from Trish at the scene despite the fact he had a gun and probably a knife just in case he needed it. The very last thing this guy wants to do is harm either of you and as a result that gives us more room to maneuver.” Naruto explained making her nod, “However for me to do what I am, then I am going to have to apologize.” Naruto stated making them frown in confusion.

“For what?” Davenport asked and Naruto sighed.

“To both piss him off and empathize with him, I’m going to have to be antagonizing him while also insulting you, Mr. Davenport, and I want you to know that I do not mean anything that will be said and it is merely to get at the unsub.” Naruto stated making Davenport frown.

“What do you mean?” He asked since he wasn’t sure how he played into this.

“I’m going to have to say some hurtful things, things that no decent minded person would ever say about you or to you let alone consider them. To the unsub however, these things are practically part of the core of his psychosis so I’m going to have to be blunt, rude, and hurtful towards you since he doesn’t care for you at all and thus I have to seem the same way.” Naruto stated making Davenport nod.

“So long as you get my daughter back safely, you can say whatever the hell you want.” Davenport stated making Naruto nod as he went to the phone area and looked at the setup with a frown before he lifted it and found a mic under it making him wave to the others, who came and saw it making them frown.

Naruto quickly wrote down something and showed it to them, **“Definitely an agent, we should leave this till we know something more concrete since disabling the mic will let him know we have a more narrowed field.”** It read and they all nodded as Naruto covered the mic again.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again and Naruto took a seat in front of the phone before taking a deep breath and then leaned forward letting it ring and ring and ring before he answered and hung up. Naruto smirked as he heard the phone ring again and Cheryl saw the same change in his eyes again before he answered, “Hello?” Naruto asked not able to keep the amusement out of his voice.

 **“Tell me there was a malfunction or something because if you just hung-”** The voice started before Naruto hung up again while Davenport and Cheryl merely watched the exchange with some nervousness.

The phone then rang again making Naruto smirk further before he let it ring and ring before answering, “Davenport residence.” Naruto stated cheerfully.

 **“Do you know what you are doing?!? You realize I will kill her-”** The voice started before Naruto hung up again while Elle and Gideon kept the Davenports calm.

Naruto waited as the phone rain again letting it go and go before answering it, “Yes? Can I help you?” Naruto asked in a condescending tone.

 **“SHE IS DEAD! YOU HANG UP ON ME AGAIN AND I RIP HER OPEN!”** The voice screamed and the Davenports began to get worried.

“Now we both know that’s not true. Why don’t you call back in a few minutes when you’ve had some time to cool off like a good little boy?” Naruto stated then asked before hanging up again as Cheryl and her father held each tight fearing the worst.

A few moments passed before the phone rang again and Naruto answered, “Oh? Are you ready to talk now?” Naruto stated with a childlike tone.

 **“Put Cheryl on the phone.”** The voice demanded making Naruto smirk.

“No. You’ll be talking with me now since we can understand each other.” Naruto stated making the voice scoff.

 **“Please, you so called FBI profilers don’t know the first thing about me. Agent Gideon always the lecturing teacher. Ambitious Agent Hotchner wants to be the Head of the FBI someday and is willing to do anything, even his sick pregnant wife can’t keep him from work. The genius Doctor Reid, who is so skilled at hiding his insecurities and autistic tendencies that even brilliant Jason Gideon can’t see it. The lovely Elle is too hotheaded and was promoted too soon, she’ll never be a threat to me or anyone. Derek Morgan wants to be taken seriously but he’s nothing more than a muscled Neanderthal that should stick to being a side of beef. I know who you are, I know how you think, and I know what you will do next.”** The voice stated making them all smirk as he lost control.

“Oh? That’s interesting, but what about me? You certainly don’t know anything about me since I’m not even part of the bureau, but I know all about you.” Naruto stated with his voice taking a harder edge to it.

 **“Oh really? Well please do inform me what you supposedly know about me.”** The voice stated clearly unimpressed.

“Well, I know you’re a successful man and that everyone around you has undermined you and kept you in a lower ranked position because they are threatened by you. I know you’ve tried to have relationships in the past but the women were so threatened by you that they dumped you while claiming it was something that you did. I know that it eventually led you to Trish and Cheryl, two girls who never should have had an interest in you and you thought it had to be your imagination. However, then you began to notice their glances towards you, the lingering handshakes when they should have let go, the smiles they gave that were only for you, the way they looked at you when compared to everyone else. I’m willing to bet the reason they wanted you to take them away was because of their father right? Always working, always having strange thugs following them, and also I bet they even blamed him for their mother’s death. I mean, the woman wanted to get away from him so badly that she got herself killed just to get away from him, but the twins didn’t need to do that, they had you after all: A man that could totally understand them, be a proper man, and prove how strong and worthwhile he was. However, they couldn’t ask you directly to take them away, someone could hear about it and then ruin it, so they asked you subtly even seductively to take them away.” Naruto stated with the smirk on his face while Cheryl was telling her father she never felt that way while the team was getting their first real in depth look into how Naruto was with killers.

 **“Yes, that miserable fool couldn’t eve-”** The unsub started before Naruto cut him off.

“However, there was one obstacle in your way of getting the two loves of your life: That so called boyfriend Trish had for appearances that the father didn’t even bother to do anything about and the boy actually thought he was good enough to be with her. What did that moron think anyway? That he could just make her love and marry him and make her forget all about you? The one true love of her life? Unlikely, then the fool dares, he dares to drive drunk while your beloved Trish is in the car with him? You had to teach him a lesson, you had to let Trish know that no matter who or what got in your way that you’d always be there to protect her and take her with you.” Naruto stated coldly making the unsub growl in anger, but it wasn’t at Naruto, oh no, it was at the boyfriend.

The team was surprised at the venom in Naruto’s voice as he spoke of the boyfriend and what he did from the unsub’s perspective. They had empathized with unsubs before but this… this was something else in its entirety, **“That son of a bitch, he endangered-”** The unsub tried to rant before Naruto cut him off again letting him piss off the unsub more while still empathizing with him.

“I bet it felt so good to put the gun right at his face and shoot him. I bet Trish was even telling you to pull the trigger and end his miserable existence. I mean why wouldn’t she? She had to tolerate his existence for over two years and even had to stomach the bastard kissing her. But something happened that you didn’t account on, the blood splatter and noise must of scared Trish, she didn’t even recognize you as her love did she? Instead in her fear induced panic, she fought you until you finally got her under control and gave her something to take the edge off. She’d come around eventually to recognizing you and you could wait, you’d done so already so what was a few more days or weeks for her to calm down and remember who you are? Then we come to Cheryl acting all coy and innocent to the plan probably just to make her good for nothing father feel even worse and now me and the team are in your way, and you’re wondering why we can’t understand that you and them were meant for each other? That all of this is just a game, a play, a ruse to get away from the bastard father since he doesn’t deserve to have the two women in his life especially if some thug could just get as close as you did and nearly take away one of them to be his supposed wife.” Naruto continued with a bloodthirsty grin while unsub sighing in content as if relishing the memory of killing the boyfriend.

 **“No one will ever take them from me, not-”** The unsub stated breathlessly before being cut off again.

“Now to get near Cheryl, you’ll have to be smarter than me, and we both know you’re barely smart enough to drive a car let alone do that.” Naruto stated making the unsub growl over the phone, “You said, you knew us, you knew how we thought, and what we’d do. Well I can say the same thing to you and I know what to do next. Do you?” Naruto stated before hanging up before the unsub could respond and went to the kitchen.

The others were just quiet as Elle followed Naruto into the kitchen and found him splashing some water on his face, “So, that’s the demon in you?” Elle asked making Naruto nod as he sighed and patted his face with a towel.

“Yeah, that’s the bit of me that can understand everything and anything that these guys do and even truly feel for them. It’s what makes me so convincing the times I had to con one of them into trusting me.” Naruto stated as Elle came and patted his back a bit making him smirk, “Thanks.” Naruto stated before he sighed and turned as Gideon came up to them.

“There’s no way we can leave Cheryl in the house since he knows it inside and out as well as the security.” Gideon stated making Naruto nod.

“Make it an FBI sanctioned safe house, if the unsub is in the bureau then he’ll try to ensure that he’s on the protection detail and I can be waiting for him.” Naruto stated making Gideon look at him and Naruto shook his head, “I won’t kill him, otherwise we may never find Trish. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t need to kill.” Naruto stated making Gideon sigh and accept his proposition.

An hour later had Naruto, Elle, and Morgan in an abandoned house with Cheryl and a couple other agents including one Agent Shyer. Cheryl was in a room at the far end while Naruto was in an adjacent room that was only separated by some plastic sheeting.

Naruto didn’t have to wait long before someone entered the room and Naruto wasn’t surprised to see Agent Shyer, who started talking to Cheryl, “I’m glad I got you alone Cheryl, now it can be the three of use just like it was meant to be.” Shyer stated as he pulled out a knife making Cheryl back up against the wall on the bed before Naruto tapped Shyer on the shoulder making him turn before Naruto punched him knocking him on his ass.

“Get up, you and I are gonna have a chat.” Naruto stated popping his knuckles as Shyer growled and lunged at Naruto in a tackle making Naruto catch him in a headlock before Naruto brought his elbow down on Shyer’s back a few times before kicking him in the groin and then tossing him into the wall. Shyer turned around just in time for Naruto’s fist to meet his face a few times before his knee went into Shyer’s solar plexus before headbutting him breaking his nose. Before Shyer could try and retaliate, Naruto chopped him in the throat and kicked him in the knee dropping him to the ground as he gasped for breath.

Shyer got up with him now holding the knife and he went at Naruto only for Naruto to catch his wrist and rotate it painfully before taking the knife and stabbing his hand to his leg making Shyer scream before Naruto covered his mouth. Naruto then turned to Cheryl and smiled kindly, “Cheryl, would you mind waiting downstairs and checking on Elle and Morgan? I need to have a little talk with Shyer and it could get a bit messy.” Naruto stated making Cheryl nod before getting up and leaving.

Naruto then turned his attention back to Shyer as he took Shyer’s gun and manually took the clip out before pointing the gun at his knee, “Now, let’s talk, man to man, killer to killer.” Naruto stated with a dark gleam in his eye before Shyer’s screams echoed in the house.

Five minutes later had Naruto walking downstairs while wiping his hands off on a towel with some blood being evident, “Trish is in a house about two miles from here, number 1256. Shyer’s gonna need some medical attention.” Naruto stated tossing the towel away and calling Gideon and Reid.

A couple hours later had them back at the BAU with Morgan bandaging himself after he was tasered by Shyer while Hotch already left to go be with his wife since he could do the paperwork while she slept. Gideon and the others were finishing up reports while Naruto was taken back to prison.

As they worked, they each couldn’t help but think back on Naruto and how he seemed to… be Shyer when he was speaking and profiling what he did. Naruto could place himself into his shoes and know what he was thinking, feeling, and planning just from looking at his actions and could do it in less than 10 minutes. Shyer was alive, but severely wounded since not only did he have a knife through his hand into his leg, but his nose was broken, an arm was twisted out of socket, his ribs were cracked, his solar plexus was badly bruised along with his throat, and one of his knees was nearly out of socket. There was no proof that the wounds didn’t occur while fighting Naruto when Shyer went to get Cheryl, but they all knew Naruto had done it during and after the fight to get Shyer to talk and they weren’t sure how to handle it.

Gideon had told the rest of the team that it didn’t matter right now since they had saved an innocent girl and Naruto didn’t kill the guy just for the hell of it and there was no guarantee that Shyer wouldn’t have killed Morgan while trying to get Cheryl out of the house.

They just hoped they could back up their story with evidence when the higher ups wanted an explanation on why Shyer was in such bad shape and how Naruto got alone with an unsub given his history.

**Done. Hope you all enjoyed it.**

***I put that it was two weeks later since the episode to have some space between them and you never know when the actual Red Skins game that Gideon gave Reid tickets to was taking place. You know time passes between each episode but no idea on how much so if I can give some kind of indication without it being ridiculous or the show itself gives an indication of how long it has been between episodes (which it does in a few rare cases), then I will give/use that indication but don’t expect it often.**

***Yeah, I used the Deadshot scene from Suicide Squad for Naruto. Just couldn’t resist the chance to do it and giving all the serious characters some anime style reactions.**

**Also I am tentatively considering one of or both the Davenport Twins for future members of Naruto’s harem, but I’m not entirely sure on that, though it would be a long while before they are.**

**Lastly, I am going to put it out there again that I am going to skip some episodes in the future because there’s just nothing I can change or twist in a way that it’s not just canon and nothing changed besides some speech being done by Naruto. I’ll make mention of cases that I skip when I do the case following them.**

**Alright that should be it, next time is the LDSK and Naruto helps Reid with his shooting.**

**See y’all later.**


	3. LDSK VS Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a sniper loose and now Naruto has to face off with him

**Hello all and welcome back,**

**Anyway, couple of things to go over: 1** **) I am now considering having Garcia with Naruto since I had forgotten about an incident that makes her available and Naruto can help her deal with the hurt that comes with it.**

**3) No, I am not having anyone leave the team permanently though as we get further some of them may take some backseat roles or taking vacations at times when they normally didn’t.**

**Well, that should be it, let’s get the show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item.**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 3: LDSK vs Hunter**

**Season 1, Episode 6: L.D.S.K**

**Episode Quotes: “The irrationality of a thing is no argument against its existence, rather a condition of it” – Nietzsche**

**“Nothing is so common as the wish to be remarkable” – Shakespeare**

**_Quantico: FBI Firing Range_ **

Naruto was standing behind Reid as the poor kid was trying hard to hit the range target accurately with his Glock 19. The main issue Naruto was finding was every time the gun fired, Reid flinched and as he prepared to fire Reid would squint and cringe in anticipation of it firing. The kid obviously didn’t care for the noise as the gun fired, which wasn’t good since flinching could cause his aim to be off and he could hit a non-target. Though Naruto did laugh a bit when Reid shot a target in the groin since, while not recommended, it was effective.

“Alright stop.” Naruto stated keeping him from firing another shot as Reid sighed and put the gun down.

“They’re gonna take away my gun.” Reid stated as Naruto cleared the gun and took the clip out.

“Nope, because I’m taking it away.” Naruto stated making Reid hang his head before he was tapped on the shoulder and Naruto was holding a revolver, “This is a Smith & Wesson model 65. It has less recoil, easier to control, and you don’t have to worry about slider bite. It’s also double action which means you don’t have to cock the hammer if you don’t want to, but that means you have to pull the trigger harder than normal.” Naruto stated handing it to him before removing his earmuffs.

“What-what are you doing?” Reid asked as Naruto removed his own.

“You’re flinching and squinting because of the noise and expected recoil, in the field you won’t always get to wear earmuffs or plugs and you’ll be firing in tight corridors and enclosed spaces so you may as well get used to the real noise rather than muffled noise.” Naruto stated as he took a second S&W 65 and showed Reid how to load it easily, “You have six shots, that’s at least one less than anyone else on the team but it also means you have to make the shots count since you’re going to take longer to reload than other people. The flip side is that you’ll have more stopping power depending on bullet placement and you’re much less likely to have your gun jam while in use. You’ll fire one full clip and then reload, then you will be allowed to put the earmuffs back on. I’m doing this because your mind and ears will recall the loud noise without the earmuffs so when you shoot with the earmuffs, you won’t flinch or react as badly when you test with this gun as you’ll be required to wear the earmuffs. As such, you won’t flinch or at least flinch as bad during the test.” Naruto stated then explained making Reid nod, though he was still nervous.

“Ok now find the grip that works best in your hand, keeping in mind that the hammer needs room to go back so leave the space or it can throw off your grip. If it makes it easier, cock the hammer and then hold it so your mind can start registering where the hammer needs to go.” Naruto stated stepping into his own lane while holding his own revolver up while Reid cocked the hammer and kept shifting his hand to get it comfortable, “Once you’re comfortable, aim by lining the hammer up with the front sight.” Naruto stated letting Reid get adjusted, “Once you think you’re on target, squeeze slowly till you start feeling an increase in pressure then pull harder but be careful since if you jerk the trigger it can throw off your aim and your position.” Naruto stated before Reid pulled the trigger till it fired.

**BANG**

“Ah!” Reid shouted after it fired since his ears were now throbbing.

“Yeah it hurts, but look.” Naruto stated after a minute and Reid looked and saw he hit the target a couple inches from the dead center, “Your ears will adjust with time, but now you’re gonna have to fight the flinch.” Naruto stated before he fired all six of his shots blowing a hole in the center of the human target.

Naruto then went over to Reid, who was messing with his ears to help with the pain a bit, “Now this time fire without cocking the hammer.” Naruto instructed with Reid nodding as the training continued.

**_BAU: Days Later_ **

Most of the team was just relaxing in the building since they were waiting on a case that they could actually help with since there was no point going to a city if there was no way to help, though Naruto didn’t mind since the director spoke with the governor and Naruto was allowed to just stay at the building until they knew for sure if they were getting a case or not.

Currently, Naruto was talking to Elle about Reid since the kid had barely passed his qualifying since he still had that flinching problem, though it wasn’t as bad since he had now experienced louder noise and such. Elle did laugh when Naruto mentioned he shot one of the targets in the groin during practice and Naruto joked that maybe she had taught him that.

They broke from their conversation as Gideon came into the bullpen, “Reid passed his qualification, they made some mentions to improve but he still passed.” Elle stated making Gideon nod.

“Good, and thanks Naruto.” Gideon stated going to his office while Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

Reid then walked in with a smile since he had progress at least with gun qualification and had another six months before he had to worry about recertifying to carry a firearm. That was six months of practice and getting used to his new gun.

“Reid, you got no right to be cocky until you’re passing without a slim margin.” Naruto stated making him chuckle nervously while Morgan and Elle laughed, “Also genius, just remember that you don’t need a gun to kill someone, and I don’t mean the obvious answer.” Naruto stated making Reid frown in confusion.

Their amusement was cut short by JJ coming in quickly carrying files, “Franklin Park, Des Plaines, Illinois: Yesterday afternoon, 3 victims shot at distance. It’s the third shooting in two weeks.” JJ stated handing each one a file while Naruto frowned and began examining it closer.

“A sniper?” Elle asked making most of the team cringe.

“We don’t use that word.” Morgan stated with a sigh as Gideon came down the steps from the office.

“Ok, why not?” Elle asked and it was Naruto who answered.

“Because the public is under the belief that no government agency has a good track record with snipers, which isn’t really far off base but they take it to an extreme that hasn’t occurred. The problem with snipers or Long Distance Shooters is that in America more civilians own guns than almost any other country in the world. Our laws on owning guns we essentially gave these guys weapons and opportunity to do this whenever they receive the inclination to do so.” Naruto explained making most of the team nod.

“Besides that, a sniper is a professional marksman, most of the time these guys are just men that are good with guns.” Hotch stated since there weren’t many true snipers shooting people in the U.S. and even fewer times was a woman a shooter.

“So what do we call these guys then?” Elle asked not really caring one way or the other.

“L.D.S.K.” Hotch and Morgan stated at the same time while still reading the files.

“Long Distance Serial Killer.” Reid supplied making Naruto grunt.

“Except this guy isn’t really killing. His first victim died but from what I’m seeing that was only due to the EMTs arriving too late so the killing was an accident or at least not intentional.” Naruto stated making the team frown but nod seeing his point since why wouldn’t the unsub have tried to finish off his targets if he wanted to ensure they died.

“And how many of these guys have we caught using a profile?” Elle asked with Naruto smirking slightly.

“Well, counting the three I’ve helped turn in when I was caught and myself if you want to get technical, 4.” Naruto stated casually making Elle widen her eyes slightly since that definitely wasn’t good.

With that said and done, JJ quickly went to Garcia to get the monitor in the conference room set up for the detailed briefing free of distractions, “Ok, so in two weeks we have 6 victims all shot in the abdomen with the only fatality being the first victim Henry Sachs, married, father of 3, shot in a shopping center parking lot.” Hotch stated showing different images.

“9 days later Doug Miller and Kevin Parks shot while playing basketball at a community center.” Morgan stated reading the information.

“And now Franklin Park, four days later, with Jerry Middleton, Kate Murray, and Tim Reilly. Police have nothing to go on as there is nothing linking the victims.” Gideon finished and Naruto hummed lightly.

“Well he’s certainly escalating and building up his confidence. First time was one target, second time was two targets, third time was three targets, I think it’s a clear pattern on what will happen when shooting four comes along.” Naruto stated making them nod since that was a high probability, “And with this guy using frangible rounds means ballistics will be nothing since they essentially shatter like glass on impact, which was designed as a countermeasure and to do the most damage upon impact.”

“Good news is all the park victims will live. The bad news is that no one saw anything. However, one patient has a still intact round in his spine, but there’s disagreement among the surgical staff on if the bullet can be removed without paralyzing the patient.” JJ supplied making a few sigh.

“Well without the usual helpful items such as witnesses and physical evidence, the profile is all we have to work with. However, that’s all I had to work with when I was hunting some of these guys across the world so it’s gonna be a challenge but not impossible.” Naruto supplied since he had at times gone on nothing but what he knew of the killer to track them down and then take them down.

“Which means you’re going to be the most valuable asset we have on this Naruto, you’ve chased more of these guys then we have.” Gideon stated making Naruto nod before they left for the plane.

**_Later on said plane_ **

“L.D.S.K.s are so rare that we haven’t been able to build a standardized profile. What we do know is that they are always male, they frequently have law enforcement or military experience, and they always make contact with the police or media.” Hotch stated more to Naruto than the plane as a whole as Naruto flipped through the pictures and documents.

“To take credit or relive the experience?” JJ asked wondering why they’d potentially endanger themselves.

“Both. All serial killers attempt to relive the ecstasy they get from their killings.” Gideon stated as a couple of them looked at Naruto who looked up at them.

“Don’t look at me, I was a task oriented killer. Once I knew they were dead or incapacitated, my job was done unless a victim was in danger.” Naruto stated since he was not one of the killers that needed a sexual release through killing.

“Anyway, some of them use souvenirs taken from the victims, and others return to the dump site to interact with the body. Both modes require contact with the victim, contact which, by definition, long distance serial killers don’t have.” Gideon continued making Naruto shake his head.

“Yeah, but this guy isn’t a serial killer. He’s only a serial shooter. If anything, he’s doing just about everything he can to ensure his targets have a fighting chance at surviving while still severely wounding them. I mean if this was about bodies then he could have easily done the playing possum method for shooting.” Naruto stated making them frown.

“Playing possum?” Elle asked and Naruto nodded before taking some paperclips and placing one by itself.

“You’re shooting, you want to take out as many people as possible before the full panic sets in and everyone runs. With that in mind you pick one target,” He stated pointing at the one paperclip, “And shoot them, but only to wound them not kill instantly.” He finished before bending the paperclip slightly, “You don’t fire again as you want the others in the area to see it and do what most do, go and see what is wrong and if they can help.” He stated before moving some paperclips over to the damage one before it looked like the damaged one was surrounded, “You then have a smaller shooting gallery of targets as you have the people gathering to watch, call 911, give any help they can, or flag down any responders. You then proceed to just fire at the kill zone you’ve created taking as many targets down as possible before getting out of dodge.” Naruto stated as he bent each paperclip around the original with them being a different distances from the original, “It’s essentially calling upon Human Nature to add targets since how many people ignore a person crying in pain and begging for help in such an open area and the whole “slow down at a car accident and see what is going on” thing that’s become a near staple nowadays.” He stated making them nod since he had a point on that since why shoot at three different spots of the same area when people would group around the first target.

“So if it was about causing damage then the unsub is firing too quickly at other targets. So he’s got some other reason behind it. The Beltway Shooters were thrill seekers finding fun in what they did and taunting the police just made it more fun and it led to their capture where they then basked in the glory they believed they had achieved.” Hotch stated making Naruto nod.

“And since this guy isn’t contacting the media, despite 2 weeks going by, and he seems to be refusing to kill his victims, I think he may not be able to be called an L.D.S.K. Which means we may be dealing with a completely different animal entirely.” Naruto stated making them frown since that could prove challenging then.

“So what do we have to work with till we can confirm is he’s a distance killer or not?” Elle asked since they needed something.

“Well the best clues at times are what the target doesn’t do.” Naruto stated, “In this case it’s the underkilling of his targets, he’s shooting them in an area that can be fatal but it could also let them stay alive long enough to recover completely. And I don’t think it’s for lack of confidence, each shot is in a prime area to make sure the death is slow and not rapid. He completely misses the heart, liver, kidneys, and stomach, all of which are areas that if shot would make repair and saving them very difficult. Instead he’s shooting for just the body mass and at most is only grazing the organs instead of full blown destroying them.” Naruto stated knowing that most trained snipers did the same thing when they wanted to take down a target but lower the chance of killing them so they could be taken in and questioned.

“What have you learned on these types of unsubs?” Gideon asked wanting Naruto’s input.

“Well, you’re partly right in that most are male but I’ve actually come across three women that were distance killers. They all have some kind of training, but quite a few didn’t get it through the military or police as their fathers, which at times belonged to the mentioned professions, were long distance shooters and trained them and usually it is one or both of the parents that pushed them to start shooting: some to prove they were better than them, some for revenge, some to vent their anger, and all the usual reasons. They are disciplined and skilled in their work, but will lose all control when challenged or feeling cornered as their pride won’t let them back down from a fight since “live to fight another day” is not in their minds ever. Most of them that can’t get a hold of a rifle to shoot over a thousand yards will take an automatic weapon that can be flipped to single fire so they can go down in a hail of bullets when the time comes. Others will still take such a weapon as it is a perceived challenge of being able to shoot accurately at a distance with a gun not specifically designed for such a thing. A couple though I found were Hitmen, hired guns, personal cause fighters, or were something else the entire time and only presented themselves as distance killers.” Naruto stated making them nod since it was useful information to have and some of it applied to this guy.

“What were some of the other reasons they were shooting?” Reid asked since it would be good information to have both for this case and to help create a basic profile.

“Two wanted to scare people in an area so they could buy the properties dirt cheap. Another was to prove a psychological experiment, that even the threat of being shot wouldn’t stop people from going about their daily lives and they’d come to accept it like the possibility of a car crash. Still another was actually a case of Hero Homicide, Angel of Mercy, or Angel of Death where they’d shoot people and then try to be the big hero and solve the crime or save the victims’ lives or they shot the people they felt just needed to let go and die. All of them never wanted media contact or to contact the police since they were highly paranoid and couldn’t chance any such interaction plus the last group got their own recognition through their hero work. However, no one could take credit for their work and they’d lash out violently if that happened usually executing the person even at the cost of them being captured.” Naruto explained making them frown since those were possible.

“Naruto, keep working the alternate possibilities while we focus on the L.D.S.K. angle. When we land, me, JJ, and Elle will go to the hospital to see what the determination is on the patient with the bullet in their spine. The rest of you go to the park and see what you can find.” Gideon stated making the nod.

“I should warn you, I’ve run across one of their surgeons there once. A Barry Landman if memory serves, the asshole has the _worst_ Narcissistic Personality Disorder I have ever seen. So just prepare yourselves for it since he’ll be condescending through the whole interchange and claim to be God given Human form.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod since that would be good to know beforehand both for handling him and to get a read on him.

As they were about to continue discussing things, Naruto noticed something, “Uh oh.” Naruto stated making them look at him, “All of these shootings took place at the first shift change. Meaning he either knows cops’ shifts, is a cop, or he’s on his own shift schedule that matches up with that.” Naruto stated with all but JJ frowning since that was bad.

“What does that mean? Shouldn’t there be twice as many cops out?” JJ asked and Naruto shook his head.

“No, first half hour your signing in, taking orders, on roll call, getting assignments, and the last half hour you’re filing reports, signing out, booking suspects and perps, and turning in anything important so for that 30 minutes it is almost do anything you want on the streets. And it means that our unsub may have intricate knowledge of the police force, so he could be or possible was a cop.” Naruto stated making JJ widen her eyes seeing the problem.

“It means we have to be careful about who we interact with until we know for sure who is not the unsub.” Gideon stated making everyone nod.

“We can’t even rule out the guy who requested us since it could be part of his narcissism to basically challenge the FBI and win.” Naruto stated making them all nod knowing this got more complicated.

**_Franklin Park_ **

Naruto sat in the car as they drove around to the parking area where they’d meet the detective in charge of the case. It was a unique feeling since it was the first time he traveled with Morgan and Reid without Gideon. He usually was paired with Elle, Gideon or Hotch since they were more focused on the case than on him since Morgan still had mistrust concerning him and Reid would want to talk to him for hours over the criminals he had tracked and any unique perspectives Naruto could offer him.

Naruto got out of the car as they pulled up next to a woman, “Agent Hotchner?” The woman asked with Hotch shaking her hand.

“Detective Calvin. This is Agent Morgan, Agent Reid, and our consultant, Naruto Namikaze.” Hotch stated introducing the other three to the now named Detective Calvin.

Once Naruto shook her hand he walked down the line of parking spots taking in the field of fire from the position, “Cones mark where the victims were?” He asked and Calvin gave the affirmative as she walked with the other three, “Well, further down I go, the more clear targets I have in my view.” Naruto stated as the cones became more available for line of sight than the previous position.

However, once he reached the end of the spots he frowned before looking in the area, “Hotch, I found his position.” Naruto stated making them come over and see he was standing at a Handicap area, “This spot couldn’t be any further from the building, but it also provides clear line of site to the cones and to the flag which would let him have a prime view of the killing field and know where the wind is coming from and how fast as he shot from his car. He probably scouted the area and picked this spot before ensuring no one would take it when he came back to shoot. Also since an open trunk would look suspicious to anyone passing by, I’d guess he has a vehicle with enough space for him to lie down and then he just removes and replaces the license plate before and after shooting. If someone walks by then they see some guy lying in his car relaxing and maybe removed the plate to let air flow better. It also lets him get away quickly since he just gets in the front seat and leave with most of everyone thinking he’s trying to escape the shooter.” Naruto stated surprising the detective while the others nodded having gotten used to how Naruto did things, “There’s also the fact that at this distance, I could get a headshot with a pistol with ease and this guy’s using a rifle so he definitely can’t lack the training to hit the head so he’s either intentionally missing the easiest kill spot or has no intention of killing his targets at all.” Naruto stated making them frown.

“So what does that make him?” Calvin asked.

“A smart, resourceful, paranoid, prepared, task oriented, Sociopath. One would think he’s sadistic, but since he wants to get away quickly then he can’t see the pain and anguish he’s caused so he’s shooting them in the gut for a reason and he’s getting bolder and bolder every time he does this, evidenced by him adding another target each time he shoots.” Naruto stated making Calvin nod, “It also unfortunately means there’s no scaring this guy into hiding, he won’t stop until he’s either caught or killed.” Naruto stated knowing they were going to have to hunker down for more shootings if they couldn’t get a lead and fast.

**_Police Station: Later on_ **

Naruto, Hotch, Reid, Morgan, and Detective Calvin were standing there talking with Naruto explaining that the unsub could have been a cop at some point to know police procedure but it was unlikely that he’d still be a cop since he’d insist on being a lead on the investigation and since she wasn’t a shooter like that it meant that he was no longer a cop or at least not in her precinct.

While she didn’t like the idea of it being a cop, she at least was content to know they weren’t looking directly at her people.

They broke from their discussion as Naruto’s phone rang, “Hello Garcia.” Naruto stated seeing who it was.

“Isn’t this spooky?” Garcia asked making Naruto raise an eyebrow.

“What?” Naruto asked making Garcia grin on the other end.

“That you were thinking of me and then out of the blue your phone rings, and it’s me. How’s that for a spiritual connection?” She asked making Naruto smirk and shake his head.

“If that were true then you’d be calling me more often and not Morgan, so now I’m gonna put you on speaker.” Naruto stated making her smile a bit, “So what do you have?” Naruto asked hoping for anything.

“The bullet was a .223 and the rifling marks show it was fired from an M-4 variant of the M-16.” Garcia stated making Naruto frown.

“Well that’s not good since that gun is a lot harder to fire accurately and the barrel is shorter making it that much harder but the plus side is that it is more maneuverable. That means he has to have specialized training since you don’t just go out and learn to shoot something like that easily especially at the distances that he’s shooting at.” Naruto stated making them frown since that meant he wasn’t shooting the victims’ torsos because he couldn’t pull a headshot, he was doing it for a clear reason.

“I guess, but the bad news is I can’t get a lock on the geographic profile without more data.” Garcia stated sadly knowing it meant more shootings.

“Alright, excuse me a second.” Naruto stated before turning speaker off and walked away, “Garcia, on the geographic profile, I want you to try plugging in the two major hospitals in the area. With what I know he’s looking more like a Hero Homicide type of unsub and since I doubt he’s a cop, that means he’s probably a doctor, nurse, or someone that handles the E.R. and can have more excitement with more bullet wounds coming in.” Naruto stated knowing that if he was right then they needed to get started on this now.

“Okay, I will do that and see if it gets me anything before hitting you back.” She stated before hanging up as Naruto walked back to the others.

“What did she mean more data?” Calvin asked concerned.

“More shootings, and she’s gonna get them since this guy clearly has something to prove to someone and he’s got no intention of stopping.” Naruto stated knowing they’d have to just hunker down and work to get ahead of this guy.

**_Café/Restaurant in the city: Later on_ **

Naruto looked at the carnage of the area with a frown since he only took three targets again and didn’t escalate further like he originally thought, “Three victims, not four.” Naruto stated with a frown as he, Hotch, Elle, and JJ were there.

“Sometimes we’re wrong.” Gideon stated and Naruto shook his head.

“Yes, but I don’t think I had the wrong idea, just the wrong conclusion. If he is a Hero Homicide unsub, then yes he has excitement with multiple targets, but he can only work on so many before a patient is taken away before he can work on them. It would get him contact with the victims, let him show off his superiority since he is saving everyone he injured and knowing exactly how to help them, and he can relive it over and over while the patients are admitted by checking in on them under the pretense of wanting to ensure they are doing well. He could even be taking pictures of them to remember the ones he saved and relive the experience.” Naruto stated making Gideon frown since it all fit with the unsub.

“But what about the locations?” JJ asked since why keep crossing lines.

“Because he’s not a permanent staff member at a hospital or at least he’s a floater taking shifts wherever he can. So he shoots close to whichever hospital he’s going to work at and then gets to be the hero and help save all of his victims showing his talent and skills. I already brought it up with Garcia to try and plug in the hospitals and one of them fit with two of the shootings and I’m willing to bet the other will fit with the other two.” Naruto stated making Gideon frown since this helped them and it could keep the cops from being paranoid about them and each other.

“Alright, explain everything to the team when we get back to the station so we all are on the same page, then we’ll present everything to the officers hopefully Garcia will give us confirmation before we do.” Gideon stated and Naruto nodded as they headed back to the station.

**_Later_ **

Naruto stood there helping the team explain things to the officers about this while making it clear that a current cop wasn’t responsible for this and had to be a former officer, who was mostly kicked off the force for behavior unbecoming or lied about something on his background before being kicked off.

When one officer made a joke about him driving a white van, Naruto decided to stomp down on the joke, “No, because a white van would be too obvious to people. This guy is smarter than you officer in that he knows what cars draw attention and what people overlook. As such he won’t be using a van, a sports car, or anything else that stands out and instead will have a simple car that is big enough for him to take his position in and still drive correctly.” Naruto stated making the officer frown at the jab, “If you don’t want to take this seriously then you can be the one who will inform the family members of the next person he possibly kills while the rest of us work to catch him.” Naruto stated making the officers quiet down since no one wanted that job, “I get that a lot of this sounds like a load of crap that we are just spouting off, but I promise that it is true what we are saying and should be taking seriously. Some of the most prolific serial killers were caught because of some mistake that while seeming to be small and insignificant made all the difference. The longer we are here and the more police presence there is, the more he’s gonna shoot which means more and more people are going to be hurt and eventually there are going to be more in the morgue than in the hospital.” Naruto stated making all humor and skepticism depart.

“This is also a problem because eventually if he can’t find civilians to shoot, then he’s gonna start shooting cops and he won’t care if you’re in a car or not. The sooner we catch this guy the sooner everyone can breathe a little easier since this guy could snap and just go on a spree of shooting up everywhere in sight and won’t care about getting brought down so long as he takes as many targets and threats down with him as possible.” Naruto continued making them all nod.

“I… I apologize, I’m just not a fan of all this psychobabble.” The officer, Scott McCarty, stated and Naruto shrugged.

“You’d be amazed how many people feel the same way, but it does work and does help with narrowing the suspect pool as well as anticipating what the unsub will do when cornered. It can be a key factor in saving lives since quite a few like to go down in a blaze of glory while others are happy to simply surrender.” Naruto stated before they finished the briefing knowing they had to plan out their next move.

**_Franklin Park: Next Day_ **

Naruto was stationed as a patroller at a different area of the park to see if there was a better vantage point to use that the unsub overlooked. As such, he had a rifle and sidearm handy while taking different stances and poses at varying heights should the unsub have made modifications to fire from his vehicle at different angles. He also was looking at areas to make quick getaways such as alleys, paths in the park big enough for a car, openings in the fence or anything that would let them get out of the park without going through normal channels.

In the primary side of the park was the rest of the team trying to get different possible visuals and escape routes while Officer McCarty was in a trunk of a car with his own rifle having the rifle sticking partially out or not at all to see if anyone could notice or see anything. Normally the man would have complained, but he accepted it upon getting assigned it for mouthing off and not taking the briefing seriously.

However, a wrinkle came in the form of a reporter announcing how the sniper was a former cop and stirring up an even bigger hornets’ nest.

As Naruto was making his way back, he was observing the higher ground parking when he caught a glimmer of sunlight from a car overlooking the area and knew what it was, “GET DOWN.” Naruto shouted before firing at the vehicle just as a bullet came and hit Detective Calvin in the arm, which was due to her turning as Naruto shouted. As Naruto fired, and a bullet impacted near him in the ground from the unsub trying to return fire, the others all took cover and fired at the vehicle with the officers firing as well before it tore out of there like a bat out of hell. Naruto quickly ran along through the park taking a quick shot at it when he got sights on it before he had to stop as the car got to the road and drove off, “Damn it.” He stated as he almost had it before going to regroup with the others.

Naruto walked back to the others as a cop with some first aid training was bandaging Calvin’s arm till the EMTs got there, “You alright?” Naruto asked and she smiled and nodded.

“Thanks to you, if you hadn’t shouted that bullet could have torn right through my body. Fortunately, bullet went clean through but missed the bone and my body. I got really lucky there.” Calvin stated as the others came over including the captain.

“What the hell just happened?” Captain Weigart demanded as he came over.

“We told you he was getting bolder and wanting targets, and we essentially set up a killing field with cops and Federal Agents all ripe for that taking for him. If I hadn’t been looking for vantage points and secondary locations to shoot from, I wouldn’t have seen the sun reflect off his rifle barrel and Detective Calvin and who knows how many others could be seriously injured or dead. Like Detective Calvin just stated, we got lucky. If I hadn’t been walking back, if he had kept the gun back just a little bit more, if he had fired just a little faster, there’s any number of things that could’ve happened.” Naruto stated making Weigart sigh since this just got a lot more difficult.

It was then that Morgan’s phone rang, “Yeah baby?” Morgan asked before Garcia then replied over the phone, “Alright thanks.” Morgan stated before hanging up, “Naruto was right, the geographic profile is centered on the two hospitals.” Morgan stated making everyone nod.

“Hotch, you, Reid, and Naruto head over and check out Doctor Landman.” Gideon stated before Naruto shook his head.

“No, can’t be him. He can only work on one patient at a time and the others would get a different surgeon. It has to be someone in the E.R. since they’d be bouncing from patients working to stabilize them and keep them alive till they could have surgeries. Plus Police and E.R. personnel are on the exact same 24-hour shift schedules, which means he probably works the second shift in the Emergency Room.” Naruto stated making Gideon and the others nod.

“Alright, you three still go to Northeast General* and check it while we go to Arlington. Captain, we’re going to need discreet perimeters around those two locations, by no means do we want to spook this guy.” Gideon stated as Naruto gave his rifle to one of the cops and got in the car to the hospital.

**_Northeast General_ **

Naruto, Reid, and Hotch were in the E.R. trying to find a head nurse and were discussing with any knowledgeable nurse about the unsub, “He would have come from Arlington within the last 2 weeks.” Naruto explained to one nurse, who the others seemed to be answering to.

“We haven’t hired or transferred anyone here in the last two months.” The nurse stated making Naruto frown.

“Alright, just let me describe him and you can tell me if he sound familiar ok?” Naruto asked and she nodded, “He’s in his 30s. He’s vain, rude, arrogant, he works out a lot. He shows up to work late, blames others for anything he does wrong, he will not take responsibility for his behavior. Everyone who works with him detests him.” Naruto stated while the woman slowly had realization and horror come to her face.

“Oh, my god. It’s Phillip Dowd. He picks up shifts at Arlington, usually that’s the only time we get any peace from him.” She stated getting increasingly worried.

“Stay calm, your patients need you focused.” He stated letting her take a breath, “Now, is he here today?” He asked making her nod, “Do you see him here?” He asked again and she looked before shaking her head, “It’s alright, we’re going to get some help and keep you and the others safe.” Naruto stated making her nod before he sent her back to her patients and quickly took his phone out before sending a text to the team, “Phillip Dowd: He’s here!” The text read making Gideon and the others quickly move to get to the hospital while Hotch sent Reid to notify the cops.

However, such a thing wasn’t going to work as Dowd came and hit Reid with the butt of the rifle before disarming the security guard that came to check on the noise. Dowd then fired on the fuse box sounding the alarm and killing the primary lights as he pointed the gun right at Hotch and Naruto, both of whom had their guns drawn right at him, “Better be a headshot. Otherwise, I go down squeezing the trigger with this on full auto.” Dowd stated while recognizing Naruto as the guy who shot at him in the park and had to hold back the impulse to empty his entire clip into the blonde’s body.

Hotch and Naruto both frowned before putting their guns down on the counter though Naruto had something handy just in case for situations like this.

Dowd moved up and took the guns before yelling at Reid to come over before Hotch placed Reid’s gun on the counter as well before the security guard flex cuffed their hands together with Naruto’s being behind his back and Naruto sat on his knees with his back to Reid and Hotch before pulling a knife from behind his coat that was attached by a backstrap and started cutting his way free. Reid and Hotch noted it was a 7 inch bowie knife and the former wondered when he had gotten that.

Naruto listened to Dowd as he spouted his cocky bullshit and Reid tried to explain things, “Shut up Reid.” Naruto stated making Reid be quiet.

“No, don’t shut up, by all means tell me.” Dowd insisted and Naruto smirked.

“Go ahead genius, tell him, but keep in mind if you get it wrong he’s gonna splatter your brains on the counter.” Naruto stated while sounding like he was condescending Reid and hoping for said result.

“Okay Boss-Man, what do you know?” Dowd asked while looking at Naruto intently.

“I know you shot 10 people in broad daylight and left us nothing, you nearly got a cop cleanly in the torso in front of the FBI and despite us trying otherwise, you still got away. I also know your plan is to go down in a hail of bullets rather than be locked in a cage.” Naruto stated in an even tone showing annoyance for the situation but nothing else.

“Oh really? Well what else do you know huh?” Dowd asked not being able to pass up someone declaring how better he was than others.

“I know you’re the smartest guy of every room you’ve ever been in and everyone’s known it, but won’t admit it. People feel threatened by you and try to sabotage you ever chance they get. You’re not a bad person, you helped save all your victims after shooting them, except the first guy and he wasn’t even your fault! If the EMTs had gotten off their lazy asses and been there on time then he would have lived! That’s on their heads not yours since you gave them too much credit in dealing with their incompetency.” Naruto stated with the demon coming out to play.

“It took those morons 13 minutes. 13! If every EMT moved like them then the E.R. would be out of business while the morgue would be booming.” Dowd stated angry that someone dared to screw up his master plan.

“You’re gonna want to barricade the door. Only a matter of time before the idiot cops who kicked you off the force come in here wanting to kill you. They knew you were in here and just wanted an excuse to execute you so why not?” Naruto stated making Dowd sneer as he put the gun to Naruto’s face.

“What’s this? Some kind of trick.” Dowd demanded before thinking, “But a barricade is a good idea though, now why would you want to help me?” Dowd asked curious before something clicked, “You said, they knew I was in here.” Dowd stated and Naruto looked impassive, “But your two buddies don’t seem to get it, why don’t you tell him? But if you lie or leave anything out...” Dowd stated before imitating a shooting action at Naruto’s head.

“Of course they knew you were in here, that’s why they sent me in here knowing you were armed and ready to go down fighting since I’m disposable to the Bureau since I’m not technically an agent and as my backup they sent me in with a bookworm who can barely hold his gun straight and a would be politician that wants to have a cushy desk job over doing real work so why no remove him from his rivals’ way now right? They sent me in here knowing I was probably going to become cannon fodder so I figure why make it easy for them?” Naruto stated making Dowd smirk.

“They set you up.” Dowd stated with that superior smirk on his face.

“Exactly, and they are probably laughing about it glad to lose three different people they view as threats to their status and intellects.” Naruto stated and Dowd nodded.

“And that’s why you want to help me.” Dowd stated and Naruto snorted.

“I wouldn’t say I want to help you, I just want it to be harder on those condescending assholes who wouldn’t know talent if it came up and punched them in the face. You’re going to take as many of them down with you as possible so why not make it so they really have to fight to get anywhere close to having a clear shot.” Naruto stated and Dowd gave him a look that just said “fair enough” before having two nurses start blocking the door with monitors and beds.

“You wanna know why I’m with boy genius and Mr. politics?” Naruto asked and Dowd couldn’t help himself when curious.

“Why?” Dowd asked figuring the blonde had to have problems to be able to understand him in some manner.

“Because no one wanted to give the pain in the ass kid a gun and I was voluntold by politics here to teach the kid personally how to shoot and even after I train him for 6 fucking hours, the brat still only barely passes by a less than 1% margin. Politics here wanted to prove his choice of agents was good so he had me teach him to show the higher ups what good choices he can make so he can get closer to promotion, only some of the higher ups were the ones who didn’t want the kid having a gun so they were angry. So as punishment I get saddled with the guy who essentially made me do it and the kid who won’t shut up with the questions on how he can be better and blah blah blah even asking if I’m sure about something when I answered. What’s worse is I’m going to have to do it again in six months because I get saddled with continuing to teach the kid till he can beat the exam with an above 50% margin and before that he couldn’t even get close to getting certified normally without his mentor pulling strings which makes my life harder.” Naruto stated and Dowd smirked not knowing Naruto was getting closer to cutting free.

“You think _you_ got it rough? These people do nothing but undermine me and make me look incompetent and it’s only gotten worse since I got here.” Dowd stated angrily and Naruto smirked.

“Put them all next to the barricade. That way, when they blast in here guns blazing, it solves both our problems. The people who undermined you get taken out and the assholes who sent me in here get their careers ruined.” Naruto stated making Dowd smirk.

“You are one sick dude.” Dowd stated and Naruto chuckled.

“How do you think I was able to find you?” Naruto stated making Dowd laugh in amusement before moving the people to the barricades.

“Can I ask you something?” Naruto stated with a smirk as he got one hand free and was now standing and leaning against the counter.

“What’s that?” Dowd asked with a smirk.

“You ever wonder what it would be like to finally get the respect? Would we actually enjoy it or just think they were mocking us and want to kill them?” Naruto asked and Dowd smirked.

“Don’t know, most of the time I just think about blowing their brains out.” Dowd stated and Naruto smirked.

“Me? I’d probably disembowel them so they can slowly watch as their insides fall out before dying.” Naruto stated with Dowd smirking further.

“Are you sure you’re the good guy?” Dowd stated making Naruto chuckle.

“No, no I’m not.” Naruto stated before he moved and grabbed Dowd’s head before he stabbed Dowd in the throat with the knife with it puncturing out the back side, “But I’m fast.” Naruto stated while looking right into Dowd’s eyes as he gurgled and choked on his own blood. Dowd wasn’t able to do anything as the gun was pinned between their two bodies. Naruto then twisted the blade making Dowd gurgle more before Naruto quickly tore the blade out and then stabbed up into his brain through his chin before twisting for good measure and then tearing it out.

Naruto then pushed his body aside and walked to the door, “All clear, hold your fire.” Naruto shouted as he opened the door and let the cops in.

**_Quantico, Virginia: Later on_ **

Reid was sitting at his desk finishing up his portion of the reports when Gideon came over as Naruto was being taken away, “You alright?” Gideon asked and Reid nodded.

“Yeah, a bit of a bruise for couple of days but nothing major. Though I do understand what Naruto meant by not needing a gun to kill someone.” Reid stated making Gideon nod as he sat by him.

“No, you don’t one. If you have a clear cut read on someone, then you can empathize and bring the person down without ever using a weapon to do it.” Gideon stated making Reid nod before he smirked.

“But they do help.” Reid stated making Gideon snort in amusement.

“Yes, they do.” Gideon stated before patting his shoulder and went up to Hotch’s office where he was on a conference call with Strauss and Director Fickler explaining why Dowd was killed by Naruto of all people. Fickler didn’t mind that much since it wasn’t like Naruto went to his house and shot him in the head before leaving, but Strauss was being extra scrutinizing since she was still against a serial killer being used as a resource.

“Ma’am, you have understand that Naruto, Agent Reid, and I were all incapacitated with Dowd holding a rifle to us. Had Naruto not had the knife, which he was approved of having a week ago, then the only other option would have been for Reid or myself to somehow get my or Naruto’s spare sidearm without Dowd noticing. The latter method being extremely unlikely as he was watching us the whole time and wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot us and everyone in the room if he felt he could before shooting however many cops he could before he was finally killed.” Hotch stated since it was the truth.

“I understand that agent, what I want to know is why you were put into such a position to begin with?” Strauss stated testily.

“Because Dowd had a human shield and neither Naruto or I had the confidence we could get a headshot without harming the captive so we were forced to relinquish our guns or risk him going down shooting taking us and who knows how many hostages with us.” Hotch defended knowing he had the better shot and Naruto wouldn’t have hesitated to blow Dowd’s brains out if he had the shot.

Before Strauss could retort, Director Fickler cut in, “That’s enough. Agents Reid and Hotchner’s actions are excusable and Naruto Namikaze’s are justified. He killed an imminent threat while saving multiple lives in the process, this matter is closed.” Fickler stated with finality in his tone.

“Yes sir.” Hotch and Strauss both stated knowing the matter was indeed closed.

“Then this discussion is over, continue to fill me in with progress reports on Namikaze’s progress and methods.” Fickler stated before his end of the line clicked indicating he hung up and Strauss was quick to do so afterwards before Hotch then hung up.

“Well, that went well.” Gideon stated making Hotch smirk.

“For now, Strauss is pushing for any excuse she can find to remove Naruto from the field and it’s causing some conflict with her and the Director.” Hotch stated making Gideon frown.

“We’ll just have to ensure we don’t give her any good reasons to try and justify that action.” Gideon stated as Hotch nodded before Gideon went to his office to finish the work he had.

Deep down though, they both knew that it was only a matter of time before something went wrong and Strauss would be on the warpath. They just had to be sure they were ready when she did.

**DONE! Hope you all enjoyed it and had a great Thanksgiving. Next time is The Fox.**

***They never tell you the name of the hospital that Landman works at so I just gave it a generic name.**

**Nothing else to say so I’ll see y’all next time.**


	4. The Fox and the Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets the chance to close a case he was tracking, now he just needs to get the team up to speed on it.

**Hey guys welcome back. Time for Naruto to face off with "The Fox" and bring him down.**

**Nothing to go over or mention, so let's go!**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item.**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 4: The Fox and the Hunter**

**Season 1, Episode 7: The Fox**

**Opening Quote: “With foxes, we must play the fox” – Dr. Thomas Fuller**

**_BAU_ **

Naruto was standing in the conference room with a frown as Gideon put up the pictures of the Crawford family; Husband, wife, daughter, and son. He turned as Elle came into the room, “Crawford Family. All of them killed in their home while they were supposed to be on vacation.” Naruto stated as Elle looked over the pictures with no small amount of horror and sadness.

“Murder/Suicides?” Elle asked and Naruto shook his head.

“They look that way, but there’s something wrong with this that tells me that it was just murder.” Naruto stated knowing that his instincts were never wrong on these kinds of things.

“Regardless, we’re going to find out for sure what happened. Go get Hotch and the others.” Gideon stated making Naruto and Elle nod as they went towards the elevators, “So how’s your week been?” Naruto asked and Elle smirked a bit.

“Was fine till now.” Elle stated making Naruto snort in amusement before they came across the others with Hotch’s wife Haley there showing off their newborn son, Jack.

They came up just as Garcia asked Morgan, “Don’t you want one of these?”

Morgan smiled and hummed a bit, “Hmm, I think I’ll just stick to practicing.” Morgan stated with a grin as Garcia elbowed him and laughed with the others.

Elle and Naruto then walked up, “Congrats to you both.” Naruto stated making the couple smile and thank him.

“She-she’s amazing. I’m a little terrified.” Hotch stated getting a few laughs before Haley noticed the seriousness and decided it was time to go.

“Nice seeing you Mrs. Hotchner.” Naruto and Reid stated as Haley waved and the others walked to the conference room.

Naruto’s expression then turned serious as he handed Hotch a file, “Bad?” Hotch asked all sense of joy and relief gone from him.

“Oh yeah.” Naruto stated as they walked back to the conference room.

“Crawford family, murdered 3 days ago, I saw it on the news.” Morgan stated walking in with some coffee.

“Found in the basement of their house while several bags packed for a vacation they never took remained upstairs, unopened or disturbed.” Reid read while the others all took different positions.

“Reporter said murder/suicide: Father stabbed the mother and kids then shot himself and local PD came to that conclusion as well.” Morgan stated still sipping his coffee.

“Yeah, the gun was found next to the father and there was gunpowder residue on his hand.” JJ stated making Morgan nod.

“And now we have some reason to believe it may not have been a murder/suicide committed by the father?” Morgan asked and Naruto nodded.

“Yes, three other families.” Naruto stated having JJ pull up a photo titled “Miller Family”, then another photo titled “Davenport Family”, and then another picture titled, “Auditore Family.” The first was a white mother and father and two black children, the second was a African American family, and the third was an Italian family, “Before I was caught, I was looking into the deaths of the Auditore and Davenport Families. All three of these are just like the Crawford family: All supposed to go on vacation, all stayed home, all dead in the basement, all presumed to be murder/suicide, and all discovered five days exactly after they were supposed to have started their vacation with them only having been dead 24 hours. I was looking into one other family as well before I was caught since I couldn’t find a pattern to how these families were picked and getting into their homes only showed that each one was hiding or doing something to put up false pretenses despite struggling.” Naruto stated before JJ brought up a fourth photo that Naruto had asked for, this one titled “Smith Family.” The Smith Family photo showed an all American family with a blonde mother, business man father, outgoing daughter, and slightly nerdy son holding a bowl with a goldfish.

“This was a case that Naruto had brought to our attention when he was caught and we monitored it as best we could, but it wasn’t until the Crawfords that something showed up. The Millers were viably killed by the mother, Reese Miller’s ex-husband Eric Miller who had violent tendencies and was known to have hurt his wife on more than one occasion.” Hotch stated making the others nod as they all sat at the table except Naruto.

“The only problem is that Eric Miller has no signs of ever touching his children and all of his and Reese’s friends said that he loved his children more than anything so he could have killed the wife and the new husband but in no way would he have touched the kids.” Naruto stated, “He was picked up last night for a disturbance at a bar at his hotel and there was blood on his jacket, which I think is because he went into the house and found them and then hugged his children since there are signs they had been moved.” Naruto stated making them nod.

“Naruto, tell us what you know on the other suspected victims so we can maybe find more overlap.” Gideon stated and Naruto nodded.

Naruto then moved to the screen before pointing to the pictures, “Alright first up we have Davenport family comprised of Achilles, Abigail, Conner, and Aveline Davenport. Achilles was a lawyer, Abigail a florist, and the two kids were average. It was a starting belief that one of Achilles’ past cases got him killed, but that was before the cops found out that he wasn’t a criminal attorney.” Naruto stated before going to the next picture.

“Next is the Auditore family with father Giovanni Auditore, mother Maria Auditore, daughter Claudia, and son Petruccio. Giovanni was a banker, Maria a seamstress, Claudia and Petruccio average kids. Giovanni easily provided for his family even though there was talk that perhaps he had been helping some clients evade the IRS on some matters. Maria was a bit of a gossip, but had a standing afternoon tea with her friends every Wednesday except for the vacation period. Claudia and Petruccio were ordinary kids with ordinary hobbies.” Naruto stated before moving to the last picture.

“Lastly is the Smith Family with father Stan Smith, mother Francine Smith, daughter Hayley, and son Steve. Stan was a government worker, what he did specifically I don’t know other than he didn’t work for the FBI, NSA, NASA, or quite a few of the known abbreviations that our government likes to use and it was suspected that he flat out sucked at his job and it was a wonder that no one knew what he actually did. Francine was a realtor and part time baker while also being a part time stay at home mom that loved to throw backyard parties, barbeques, and block parties. Hayley was a bit of a hippie style girl, most likely in rebellion against her father, and Steve was a regular nerdy kid, though from what some of his friends said, he’d try to hit on any girl he found attractive regardless of their age.” Naruto stated as he moved back to the table.

“Anything in common with the most recent victims besides the obvious repetitions?” Elle asked and Naruto sighed a bit.

“Only common denominator I found was that they were all two children households with a boy and girl, all had some bit of a secret that they tried to keep hidden for appearances, and that at least one member was in therapy, but each one had a different therapist and were not referred to their therapist by the same person or group. The one minor note which led me to believe it was a serial was the fact that all the husbands were missing a wedding ring.” Naruto stated making them all nod as they kept going over the files with them both looking for other facts and any mention of the husbands still having their rings.

“Any working theories with the first ones?” Morgan asked and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, someone connected to the therapists was involved and either snuck in or surprised them under an “unscheduled home visit” before subduing the families. Doing a surprise home visit would let him scope the place and find the easiest way in. Being in the offices would let him know the notes and details of things like hobbies, school, work, and other daily workings. I just couldn’t pin down a suspect since there was just no time with other killings coming up faster since this guy had a cooling period of nearly a year at the start and now it’s down to just one week. I had other killers that were having far less cooling periods and then I was caught. We’re looking at least three families spread over a two and a half year period before I was caught and I’m willing to bet there’s some that were missed after I was locked up leading us to these current two.” Naruto stated making them frown since that was a decent cooling period that was slowly getting less and less.

“I already have Garcia checking into the therapists of the families to see if there is anyone that overlapped between them.” Hotch stated making them nod.

“Reid, you interview Mr. Miller since you could use the experience running an interrogation solo.” Gideon stated making Naruto smirk at the kid looking at him in confusion, “Morgan, Naruto, we’re at the house since it’s the most recent crime scene.” Gideon continued making them nod as the three left for the house.

**_Crawford Home_ **

Naruto, Morgan, and Gideon entered the house before heading down to the basement to look at the main part of the scene, “When being led down here, they had to know the end was coming.” Gideon stated as they looked at the workout/laundry room.

“Coroner and forensic techs confirm they were all killed down here. Sam by the fold up bed, Emily a little ways towards the machines, Allison in the middle of the floor, and Chris at the dryer, most likely giving him a prime view of the others dying.” Naruto stated looking at everything.

“Alright, Naruto, you’re the unsub, how do you do it?” Gideon stated as Naruto looked around a bit before frowning.

“I give Chris the most direct line of sight to what I’m going to do to his family, which means that he’s probably the one I am focused on the most. I can’t risk trying to bring them all down here at once so I bring one down at a time and ensure they are properly restrained and don’t move.” Naruto stated as he looked around.

“No restraints found and no ligature marks.” Gideon stated knowing that would change things.

“So I used soft materials or I have access to bed restraints like at a mental hospital. I’d only need them for the mother and father at best since the kids I can convince that if they don’t obey and behave then I’ll kill mommy and daddy. The parents then obey because if they don’t I will kill their children and then their spouse before killing them and they can tell that I mean it. So I bring Chris down here first to get him positioned then I bring the others down one at a time. I either wait till they are all together to do the stabbings or I do it one at a time to inflict maximum emotional pain. Chris is forced to watch as those he loves most slowly bleed out and die and he’s incapable of doing anything. I not only cause massive pain, but I also show him how this is all his fault. If he were stronger, if he were faster, if he better protected the home, and if he wasn’t able to be subdued so easily then his family wouldn’t be dying right in front of him. And then, once I’ve completely shown him his failure and broken him, I give him the act of mercy by just putting him out of his misery quickly and cleanly with a bullet to the head.” Naruto stated making the two nod since it made sense.

“Let’s go see how they lived, shall we?” Gideon stated as they climbed the stairs up to the next floor and then went to the living area.

“Yard’s overgrown, roof needs maintenance, Chris’ car needs a tune up and cleaning, but Allison’s car is pristine. Most likely, Allison drove the kids to school, which was a private school, so she wanted to keep appearances up for her fellow parents and make them believe her family fit in perfectly.” Naruto stated and Gideon nodded.

“Just like the house: designer magazines conspicuously placed, expensive high end furniture, plasma tv, intricate photo frames, and fine china and silver put out at the table and shown in the cabinet. However, behind the curtains is water damage.” Gideon stated pointing to a corner area.

“So Allison spent money on the things her friends could see, but neglected what they couldn’t see. Wanted to present themselves as a higher class despite struggling due to Allison’s spending and Chris having a hard time getting better paying work. However, living beyond their means would only last so long, so where was the bonus money coming in from since I think people would notice if Chris or Allison won the lottery?” Naruto stated making Morgan and Gideon nod.

“I’ll get Garcia to deep digging on the Crawford family financials, see if maybe there was an inheritance, loan, investment, or anything that recently came or paid off.” Morgan stated as they moved to the kitchen area where Naruto paused as he saw a picture on the fridge.

“Emily.” Naruto read at the bottom of the paper with a house, trees, family, fence, and dog all made of black paint, “This is a very one-dimensional picture for a child to make especially of their own home and family. They usually love to add color even if the color doesn’t really fit. They typically want the picture to be fun, expressive, and nice to look at. Yet, this picture is stationary, bland, and kind of dark… oh.” Naruto stated before speaking the last word a moment of silence later.

“What is it?” Gideon asked and Naruto showed it to him.

“It’s not Emily’s view of this house and her family, it’s the unsub’s.” Naruto stated making Gideon frown as he took the picture before Naruto moved over to Morgan who was kneeling at the back door, “Electric doggy door?” Naruto asked and Morgan nodded.

“Yeah, no collar was found and the dog would have to have one to get in, so I’m guessing the unsub got in through here otherwise the alarm would have gone off. When the cops got here, house was locked and alarm was activated.” Morgan stated making Naruto nod as Gideon came up.

“So the only way in and out the night the Crawfords were murdered was through the doggy door with the collar.” Gideon stated looking at the photos while Morgan was kneeling by the door.

“Yeah, whoever killed and controlled this family had to be a BIG guy. Chris Crawford was a black belt in judo and would have fought hard.” Morgan stated before he felt a finger at his head.

“You’re a black belt too. Only now, I’ve got a gun to the back of your head and possibly a knife handy. Maybe you could take one or both from me, but your children and wife are in the same room and if you fail, they will die. It really doesn’t matter now how big I am now, does it?” Naruto asked before moving to the Living Room while Morgan chuckled a bit.

“Bound or not, threatened or not, Allison and Chris would have put up one hell of a fight, while Emily and Sam would have been crying.” Naruto stated looking out at the street seeing the house across the street had no lights on.

“Chris didn’t kill his family, and there’s no evidence Miller was ever in this house or even knew the Crawfords.” Morgan stated before he jumped slightly as Naruto started screaming.

“HELP ME! HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE! NO! NO! GOD NO! PLEASE! MY GOD NO! DON’T DO IT! AAAAAAH!” Naruto screamed as Morgan calmed the officers nearby.

“What the hell?” Morgan stated before Naruto pointed across the street showing him that the neighbor was awake and turning on lights.

“Why didn’t anyone hear them scream or cry for help?” Naruto asked looking back at him before motioning one of the officers to tell central that everything was fine.

“Supports your original theory that he uses the family against each other: If you scream, fight, or disobey, then I’ll kill one of the others and I’ll do it right in front of you.” Gideon stated as they kept looking over the house for an hour or so before they went back to the BAU where Naruto was outfitted with a tracking bracelet so he could sleep at the office for the night.

The next morning had them all together again with Reid telling them that there was no way that Eric Miller killed them. As Naruto had stated, Eric would have possibly killed his wife and new husband if he was drunk enough, but would never have hurt his children. He also confirmed Naruto’s other theory that Miller had found the bodies and then ran since he knew the cops would never believe him and started drinking the memories away.

Naruto however clued in on him mentioning he wanted to know what his son painted and looked through the photos before finding one, “Reid, when this is over, give Eric Miller this picture from the house.” Naruto stated showing Reid a picture by Ty showing him, his sister, his mother, stepfather, and his father all standing and smiling in front of his house while the mother was holding his father and stepfather’s hands, “Let him have that, it will be something nice rather than the blood soaked paper that Ty was holding at death.” Naruto stated knowing the picture would make Eric emotional, but it was a better kind of emotional than blood splatter.

Reid nodded before they turned to Gideon who was staring at the black picture, “This unsub controlled the entire family like Naruto said, “You scream then I’ll kill one of the others.”” Gideon stated while looking at the photos, “He had a way of restraining them that left no marks so like Naruto also said, use of soft materials or the straps used for psychiatric hospitals are likely. Lastly, as Naruto predicted, the M.E. determined the father was the last to die based on lividity.” Gideon stated confirming Naruto’s statements and reads.

“If he did spend time with the families, then it’s because he knew he’d have time to spend with them.” Morgan stated making them nod.

“Because he knew they were going on a vacation.” Reid stated making Naruto sigh.

“Yeah, but that only narrows it to people they told they were going on vacation or were supposed to know for some reason. Since they have different relatives, work areas, and school areas, we can cut out those kinds of things for how the unsub knew.” Naruto stated making them nod, “However, I still feel that a therapist is the best choice since it’s easy for one to say, “Oh, take a vacation to improve your family ties, your marriage, to celebrate, to get out of the house” and yadda yadda.” Naruto stated before the intercom buzzed.

“Guys, we’ve been digging into the Crawford financials.” Hotch stated as Garcia chimed in.

“Allison Crawford was spending _WAY_ more money than Chris could afford, they had racked up some SERIOUS debt and it was not looking pretty for them at all.” Garcia stated as she typed away.

“Chris also wrote a number of checks to see a therapist.” Hotch stated making the others in the conference room pause as Naruto merely motioned at the intercom showing his point proven.

However, before a comment could be made, Garcia spoke up, “She also had two cell phone accounts…with one being billed to an address in southeast Washington, D.C..” Garcia stated making most of them frown.

“My guess is a brother, but someone should still check it out.” Naruto stated making them look at him, “Allison’s personal calendar only had the birthdays of family members in it, and there was one marked “F” in December with a heart next to it. Allison doesn’t seem like the type to cheat and all the other relatives were easily marked, so F must be a brother.” Naruto stated making them nod as they went to gear up for the location while Naruto hung back with Garcia and JJ.

“So how come you didn’t go with them?” JJ asked and Naruto shrugged.

“They are going to see Allison’s brother, but he couldn’t have killed them since he has no connection to the other families. I’d still want to talk to him, but there was no point in going on the raid.” Naruto stated making JJ nod, “So how many cases do you have piled up on your desk at this point?” Naruto asked with a slight smirk knowing that JJ had to filter the cases that the team could actually help with from the cases that were isolated incidents that the team wasn’t needed on.

“Only about 30 or so.” JJ stated and Naruto chuckled.

“You know, I could help you sort through them a bit faster, maybe even help you get some profiling mojo of your own going. It would help you go through the items faster and possibly motivate you to being a full agent and profiler.” Naruto stated making JJ smile.

“While I’d like the first part, I’m not sure about the second.” JJ stated and Naruto chuckled in response.

“JJ, you’re driven, passionate, compassionate, understanding, smart, bring unique perspectives, and don’t take shit from anyone. All you need is a bit of profiling 101, some gun and hand to hand practice, and maybe some none dress style heels.” Naruto stated making JJ blush a bit at the praise before she smiled.

“Well, I’ll think about it.” JJ stated with a smile making Naruto nod.

“What about me?” Garcia asked as she was grabbing a cup of coffee and waiting for her search parameters to kick something out.

“Well you’re driven, loving, smart, fun loving, confident, caring, unique, quirky, dedicated, and have unique perspective in life and care for things.” Naruto stated making Garcia smile, “I could teach you a few profiling tricks if you want, even if you don’t want to be a field type or agent you could still be on the lookout for the creeps and jerks out and about.” Naruto stated making Garcia think on it as they kept chatting til the others came back.

**_Later_ **

Naruto and the team were standing in the observation room looking at Frank Fielding, Allison Crawford’s brother and manic depressive. Gideon has found a painting done by Emily in his home meaning he had to either have been there, which was unlikely since there was no evidence of him even existing at the Crawford home, or perhaps Allison gave it to him.

Now it was just the difficult part of trying to get him to talk, “Let me talk to him, I’ve dealt with this kind of situation before.” Naruto stated making Morgan frown while Gideon nodded.

“We can’t just let him talk to the guy, he’s not even an agent.” Morgan stated and Gideon and Hotch sighed.

“It’s really no different than a psychologist or psychiatrist talking to a suspect for law enforcement groups and then reporting the findings.” Naruto stated as he grabbed Frank’s pills and went to the room while Morgan merely bit back his response and just watched.

Naruto entered the room and sat down across from Frank, “Hello Frank, before we get in too deep into this discussion, I have to ask if you’ve been taking your meds?” Naruto stated calmly and civilly.

Frank fidgeted in his seat, “They…they make me feel wrong inside.” Frank stated before seeing the painting, “And that’s mine.” Frank stated pointing at the painting.

“Because Allison gave it to you, right?” Naruto asked and Frank nodded, “I’m going to guess you did something to make her mad or Chris didn’t like you since there was hardly anything to suggest Allison had a brother.” Naruto stated and Frank nodded while fidgeting.

“Chris never liked me, he threatened to have me thrown in the loony bin if I ever came to the house. Allison got me a phone so we could stay in touch and she’d come and visit me some times, she even brought me that painting that my niece made. Then she came over recently and said she couldn’t see me anymore and when I tried to call her a few days later, they had cut my phone off.” Frank stated sounding a little angry at the end.

“So what did you do Frank? Had to be something bad if you’re guilty about it.” Naruto asked and stated making Frank nod.

On the other side of the glass the rest of the team was watching, “For Frank to have gotten in the house, he had to have had a key. Based on his relationship with his brother in-law, you see him having one?” Elle asked making the rest of them shake their head.

“Not a chance.” Hotch stated before Frank started talking again.

“I went to the house, I knew I wasn’t supposed to but I had to see her.” Frank stated and Naruto nodded.

“It’s understandable Frank, just tell me what happened.” Naruto stated calmly to let Frank’s mind process easily.

“I went to the dining window, it was cold out and my breath fogged up the glass, so I had to use my sleeve to clear it. I saw Allison saying blessing over the food and Sam was crying, I guess he got in trouble. Allison noticed and looked at me and she mouthed something, but because of the glare she had I figured it was “get the hell out”, so I left. And then he killed them! Chris killed them all!” Frank stated getting angry at the very end and Naruto nodded.

“Was Chris there when you were?” Naruto asked and Frank shook his head.

“No, he wasn’t there. There was some friend at the head of the table.” Frank stated uncaringly and Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Can you describe this friend?” Naruto asked knowing it had to be the unsub.

“Red hair… and tiny. White I think. Not sure what else there is.” Frank stated as Naruto hummed.

The others all looked at each other as they knew what that meant, “It wasn’t a friend he saw, it was the unsub.” Elle stated grimly knowing this could change some things.

“And she wasn’t telling him to leave, she was asking him for help.” Gideon stated making them all nod.

Frank, however, saw Naruto’s face and realized what they did, “Oh…it-it wasn’t a friend at all.” Frank stated and Naruto started trying to calm him.

“Frank listen to me.” Naruto stated as Frank started getting more upset.

“Oh… I-I could have done something. No…no…NO! No no no no no.” Frank stated as he started hitting his hands against his head.

However, before the team could get in there, Naruto acted by grabbing his arms and slamming them down on the table. He then held them there with one hand while his other grabbed Frank’s head and made him look at Naruto, “Frank! Listen to me, you had no phone, no way to get a phone, and you would have been so frantic that people would have thought you were a crazy person. If you had gone into the house, you would be dead. I’m sorry for what has happened but it is not your fault.” Naruto stated trying to calm Frank and it was working as he went from self-hating violent to saddened and started to cry on the table.

**_Later_ **

The team was sitting in the conference room thinking on what to do now, “All the families had a dog and a dog door, so that had to be the entry point.” Morgan stated and the others nodded.

“Frank said the person he saw was small, but to be able to get through the door he’d have to be short in stature.” Elle stated making Morgan nod.

“We can’t be looking for a guy bigger than 5’4” if that and he definitely had to be thin.” Morgan stated looking at the pictures again.

“The other unlikely scenario is the person is extremely flexible. An expert gymnast could fit through there with some effort and a contortionist could easily do it. However, as I said, it’s unlikely and it’s no more plausible than Eric Miller.” Naruto stated as he lied on the floor.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Gideon quoted making Naruto smirk.

“Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character, this guy definitely isn’t. We can be sure he’s found another family by now.” Morgan stated making Naruto hum in agreement.

“Good news is, we should have at least 4 days to find him. Bad news is, if he’s devolving then he could just kill them at any point in time. Even if he doesn’t get the satisfaction that he normally would get, he’ll just kill them and find another one until he can get it fully.” Naruto stated making them nod knowing they had to work fast.

**_Next Day_ **

Naruto was sitting with his head back and eyes closed thinking while Gideon kept looking at the pictures thinking there was something more to them, “He hasn’t stopped looking at those pictures all morning.” Elle stated as Naruto smirked.

“It’s his process.” Naruto stated as Morgan hung up the phone.

“Well I hope it gives him something. I’ve checked lawyers, doctors, tutors, travel agents, contract workers, and I got nothing.” Morgan stated as he sighed.

“Why those families?” Elle asked and Naruto shifted slightly.

“Because he’s lost his own, it’s why the husbands are all missing their wedding rings: He lost his family and now he targets other families. He see’s a supposedly happy family and then sees the underlying secret of them that makes them not perfect and he gets angry. He’s a highly organized killer which means he’s skilled at his job and has above average intelligence. Could be a few different working classes. Definitely male. In the workplace he’s socially confident while sexually confident with women. Every offense he commits is carefully planned and organized, the planning and targeting are as enjoyable as the execution. He’s meticulous, careful, and compelled to do it and keep everything in its proper place. He does exhaustive research on their targets, every little detail no matter how small or insignificant, to the point he knows every move his targets make and will make. Everything is kept written down somewhere like a book or journal: Bath time, school lets out, dad arrives home, dad leaves, supper, bed, wake up, etc. etc. He plans the work then works the plan with nothing left to chance, accident, or mishap, which enables him to keep control of his life and his targets. Thus, nothing can be out of place by even a millimeter, ever. He plans the work until he’s ready and then works that plan. He takes such great pride in it that his work has to be the answer for the availability for it.” Naruto stated making them nod before he opened his eyes and sat up making them look.

“What is it?” Gideon asked as he knew Naruto had just realized something.

“He lost his own family and he takes his anger out on husbands. He knows they’ll be on vacation so he knows no one will interrupt his fantasy. So, for 3 days he gets to play loving husband and father.” Naruto stated making Gideon see where this was going.

“Hotch, have forensics check the fathers’ clothes, he may have worn them to live out the fantasy entirely.” Gideon stated making Hotch nod as he started the call.

“So why kill them?” Elle asked and Naruto sighed.

“Because the fantasy can’t last, so as soon as it starts to unravel he kills them and starts looking for the next family to get the fantasy going again. Only, the problem is that he’s not getting the same high and pleasure from the next one and the next one is even worse making him have to keep going again and again until he can find a family that can let him keep living his fantasy.” Naruto stated knowing such a thing was impossible since the standards would be too high and demanding to succeed.

“Do we have anything that will help us catch and identify this bastard?” Elle stated as Naruto frowned in thought before widening his eyes and quickly grabbed the case files.

“What is it Naruto?” Hotch asked as he moved to see the files.

“Chris Crawford worked for the IRS, Reese Miller was a secretary for the GAL, Stan Smith was a government worker, Giovanni worked for a Federal Bank, and Achilles worked for the Patent and Trade office as a lawyer.” Naruto stated making them widen their eyes.

“That makes them all Government Employees.” Elle stated as she got up.

“Let’s check out Chris Crawford and Reese Miller since they are the two most recent.” Gideon stated making them nod.

“I’ll go to Garcia, see if I can help her find some kind of connection between them since if the other families were in therapy, then they most likely were too. Family Therapists often use children’s paintings to assess the family unit.” Naruto stated making them nod as they headed out to the workplaces.

“We gotta stop meeting like this, Naruto, people are gonna start to talk.” Garcia stated with a smirk while Naruto chuckled.

“People are gonna talk regardless, might as well give them something interesting to talk about.” Naruto stated making her grin, “Besides talk, when not to a therapist, is cheap.” He stated making her chuckle as she typed, “The Crawfords made 12 weekly payments to the Applewood Family Medical Center, what about the Millers?” Naruto asked as Garcia typed before a few beeps later the financial items came up.

“Nope, nothing at all.” Garcia stated making Naruto hum in thought.

“How about medications? No one gets therapy these days without a healthy dose of medication.” Naruto asked as Garcia typed.

“Just what are you implying there stud?” Garcia asked with a teasing grin and Naruto smirked.

“That everyone is medicated.” Naruto stated making her look at him.

“Did you just make a joke?” Garcia asked with a teasing grin and Naruto chuckled.

“Somewhat, it would be funnier if it wasn’t true.” Naruto stated and Garcia shrugged before typing again.

“Okay, medication usually requires reimbursement for the HMO, but since she worked for the government like I do, we share the same Health Care Provider.” Garcia stated and Naruto smirked.

“You realize hacking into the government’s HMO database is illegal and I’m already in prison right?” Naruto asked and Garcia merely grinned.

“Well maybe I’ll get lucky and we can be cellmates.” Garcia stated and Naruto chuckled as she kept typing.

“Ah right there. Nice call, Mr. Namikaze. Mrs. Reese Miller, Diazepam 10mg.” Garcia stated and Naruto leaned in.

“Who was the prescribing doctor?” Naruto asked and a few keystrokes later had Garcia finding that out.

“Dr. R Howard of the Applewood Family Center. Let’s see what he looks like.” Garcia stated before typing and pulling up the picture making them blink at the picture, “Uh… Doctor Howard definitely isn’t a he.” Garcia stated as the picture showed Doctor Rachel Howard, a woman with red hair.

“Well, she may not be the unsub, but she’s definitely part of our connection.” Naruto stated as he left to call Hotch and Gideon, “Guys, Doctor Rachel Howard, she works at the Applewood Family Medical Center where the Crawfords were attending and she was prescribing Reese Miller, Diazepam. I’m willing to bet she prescribed something for one of the Crawfords and the other families too.” Naruto stated over the phone.

“Alright Naruto, we’ll pick you up and head over.” Gideon stated before hanging up.

**_Applewood Center_ **

Naruto, Gideon, Hotch, and Morgan followed a secretary as she led them to Dr. Howard’s office, where she was talking with a mother and daughter, “Very nice, Lacie, it’s so full of color. It’s gonna be beautiful when you finish it.” Dr. Howard stated in a soft calm voice before the four entered.

“Doctor Rachel Howard, Special Agent Aaron Hotchner with the FBI.” Hotch stated making Dr. Howard frown before she stood.

“Come on Lacie, go with mommy.” Dr. Howard stated letting the mother and daughter leave before she turned to the four, “Can I help you?” She asked in a normal voice now.

“I’m Agent Jason Gideon with the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Gideon stated showing his credentials.

“We both deal with the dysfunctional. Though happily I get better results in my line of work than you do with yours.” Dr. Howard stated crossing her arms a bit.

“Unless you’re the Crawford or Miller Family, you knew them both.” Gideon stated making her lose some of her stance.

“Yes, I knew them, but-“ Dr. Howard started to say before Naruto spoke up.

“Ma’am, did you know the Auditore, Davenport, and Smith family?” He asked making her freeze slightly.

“They… They were patients here before they died.” She stated not sure what was going on.

“I think you should take a seat ma’am.” Naruto suggested making her frown.

“Why exactly?” Dr. Howard asked and Naruto sighed.

“Because we have reason to believe all five families were murdered and right now, you and this practice are the only connections.” Naruto stated making her decide to take that seat.

“Thi-this has to be some kind of mistake.” She stated and Naruto shook his head as he sat in front of her.

“I’m afraid it’s not.” Naruto stated and she looked at him.

“Wait, you don’t seriously think that I-.” She started before Naruto shook his head.

“No, I looked you up on the way here. Not only do you not fit the profile, but you’re happily married and have four teenagers. I can think of a dozen things you’d rather do than spend three days with your patients’ families before then killing them.” Naruto stated making her nod.

“That’s right. Besides all I did was assess their cases since this place handles hundreds of families ranging from military to cops to lawyers to congressmen to feds. The Davenports were my patients because Connor was having some trouble adjusting to school and they were worried something else may have been going on. I only met the Crawfords, Auditores, Smiths, and Millers once.” She stated and Hotch frowned.

“Yet you prescribed medication to them all.” Hotch stated since Garcia confirmed that each family had a prescription.

“Well yes, I’m the only medically licensed doctor in the building. If a doctor feels they could use something, they give me the file to look over and I prescribe what I think could help them.” She stated making them nod.

“Who did you hand the cases over to?” Gideon asked making Dr. Howard frown before she stood and went around the desk.

“I’ll have to check my files.” She stated as she opened a filing cabinet.

“You don’t use the computer?” Morgan asked and Naruto smirked.

“Nah, she likes files because it lets her still feel in control, correct?” Naruto stated and Dr. Howard nodded.

“Yes, and please, do not read into that.” Dr. Howard stated as Naruto nodded and she began flipping through the folders, “Uh… Karl Arnold handled the Crawford case. I’d have to look around a bit for the Miller, Auditore, Smith, and Davenport files.” She stated knowing the latter three would have been put in storage after their passing.

“I’d like to see Karl Arnold now.” Gideon stated looking at the file.

“Well that’s not gonna be possible, he works a four-forty: Four 10-hour days. He’s off today, but he’ll be in first thing tomorrow.” Dr. Howard stated and Hotch frowned.

“Can you give us his home address?” Hotch asked making her nod and write it down along with his cell and home phone.

“I’ll get a team out to his house.” Morgan stated making Hotch nod.

“In the meantime, we need to see his office.” Naruto stated making her nod before handing Morgan the address and numbers as she began leading them through the halls.

Upon reaching the office, Morgan hung up, “Arnold’s cell is going straight to voicemail.” Morgan stated making Dr. Howard frown.

“Karl’s a good man.” She stated making Naruto nod.

“Yeah, that’s what he wants people to believe, then someone finds a body in the basement.” Naruto stated before trying the door finding it locked. Sighing since they didn’t have time, he just kicked it open, “Karl Arnold will pay for it.” Naruto stated when Dr. Howard looked at him expectantly.

Upon entering, they found everything neatly organized with a wall covered in paintings done by children, “Gideon.” Naruto called pointing to five paintings, “Emily, Connor, Ty, Steve, and Petruccio.” Naruto stated knowing they had the right guy.

“Where’s he now?” Gideon mumbled under his breath before Naruto turned to Dr. Howard.

“I can’t believe he would…” She started and couldn’t finish her own sentence.

“Where is he?” Naruto asked seriously.

“I don’t know, if he’s not at home or work, then maybe he’s gone to see his family.” Dr. Howard stated and Naruto snorted.

“He’s married?” Morgan asked and Dr. Howard nodded.

“With two children: Karl Jr. and Sarah.” Dr. Howard stated looking at him.

“And how long ago did the marriage collapse?” Naruto asked making her freeze.

“A-about five years ago.” She stated before Naruto spoke up.

“Let me guess, around a month before the Davenport family was killed?” He asked making her eyes widen as Morgan answered his cell phone.

“It… it wasn’t a good time for Karl, he took some time from work. He-he couldn’t concentrate, started drinking. I-I can’t believe that- May-maybe you’ve got it wrong… I-I would’ve seen…” Dr. Howard tried to argue, but found herself failing to justifiably argue, “Oh my god, I feel sick.” She stated turning paler and covering her mouth.

“Where’s Karl’s family live?” Gideon asked and she thought a moment.

“She took the kids and moved to Idaho.” She stated not believing that she couldn’t see what Karl was.

“Alright.” Morgan stated hanging up his phone, “They raided Karl’s place, they got nothing.” Morgan stated making Gideon frown.

“Call his wife, see if she can give any insights.” Naruto stated making Hotch nod as he did so.

A minute or so later, he got an answer, “Hello?” A woman’s voice stated over the line.

“Fey Arnold? This is Agent Aaron Hotchner of the FBI, I’d like to know where you ex-husband is.” Hotch stated making her scoff on the other end.

“As long as he’s nowhere near me, then I don’t give a damn.” She stated not caring one way or the other.

“We really need to find him, when was the last time you saw him?” Hotch asked.

“I haven’t seen him in over two years. He-he’s a scary guy… but, he did call me about an hour ago. I wish he’d go to Hell and stay there.” Fey stated sounding anxious.

“What did he say?” Hotch asked making her sigh.

“He just babbled on about how precious family is and…” Fey stated not really caring.

“Did he say where he was?” Hotch asked.

“No, no, he just wanted to talk to the kids. He said he had just met a little girl that reminded him of my Sarah.” She stated with confusion clear in her voice.

“Did he seem upset, anxious, or confused?” Hotch asked making her snort in amusement.

“He seemed like he always is: angry, controlling, manic.” She replied back.

“Do you have any idea where he might be?” Hotch asked hoping for something.

“No, no, but I did hear kids in the background. Then, someone started to cry and that’s when he hung up.” She stated not sure what was going on.

“Alright, thank you.” Hotch stated before hanging up, “He just called her, she heard kids in the background.” Hotch stated making Naruto curse.

“He’s already inside another family’s house.” Naruto stated before looking to Dr. Howard, “I need you to get us all the files on families that were going on vacation this week, specifically ones that are married with a boy and a girl.” Naruto stated making her nod as she quickly got a few assistants to help her get the files.

A few minutes later had them digging through files, “There’s hundreds of files here.” Morgan stated as they kept flipping through them.

“Then we’ll send an agent to every home if necessary.” Hotch stated as they kept going,

“Ok, Karl’s family has the daughter being older and the other families match, so sort through and remove all families with the boy being older. We can also rule out any with teenagers, no dog, parent is overseas, any that left for vacation last week and are still gone, and any where the parents are getting divorced.” Naruto stated moving files away that didn’t match the parameters.

“Targets would fit the same functions.” Hotch stated moving a file away.

“How could I not have seen this?” Dr. Howard asked and Naruto grunted.

“Because he’s that good, if he wasn’t then he would have been caught a long time ago.” Naruto stated as he kept going.

“He have a journal?” Gideon asked looking through the desk.

“He writes everything in it and takes it everywhere, never leaves his sight more than a few moments.” Dr. Howard stated trying to maintain her composure.

“It’s likely he also collects trophies, if they aren’t in his home then they have to be here in this room.” Naruto stated moving another two files away.

“Trophies?” Dr. Howard asked and Naruto nodded.

“Every husband was missing his wedding ring. If Karl doesn’t confess then we’ll need the rings as evidence.” Naruto stated making Dr. Howard swallow a lump in her throat.

“Here’s one, the Harrisons: boy and a girl.” Hotch stated putting it on the table.

“I got two here: The Boyds and the Dunkens.” Morgan stated making Dr. Howard freeze.

“Wait. The Dunkens, that’s not one of his cases that’s one of mine.” She stated getting scared as she stood up, “They have a baby boy and a slightly introverted eight-year-old girl named Jackie.” She stated making Naruto frown before he got one of the pictures Karl hadn’t framed for his wall yet.

“This hers?” He asked and she nodded.

“He took it from my office.” She stated now shedding tears.

“Were they planning a trip?” Gideon asked and she nodded again.

“To the Adirondacks.” She stated crying making them move.

“Hotch stay here and tear the office apart!” Gideon stated as Hotch nodded and handed Naruto the Dunken file.

“Check the built in shelving, wouldn’t take much to pry out a backing and then dig a space out.” Naruto called making Hotch nod.

“I’ll get you backup and support.” Hotch called making the phone call before he started tearing the office apart including the shelving.

**_Dunken Family Home_ **

Gideon, Morgan, and Naruto were suited up and backed by S.W.A.T. as they approached the house. The captain was using an infrared scanner of the house and found them in the dining room, “We got three adults and 2 children sitting at the dining room table.” He stated before motioning his men to surround the house.

The captain then took point towards the dining room’s double doors to the yard as Gideon, Morgan, and Naruto followed with the rest of the men, passing the dead dog on the ground as they did.

Naruto counted off before they made entry, “FBI!” They shouted opening the door as the daughter moved to the mother.

“Please! He’s got my baby!” Mrs. Dunken stated frantically.

“Ma’am is he alone?” Naruto asked as he cut Mr. Dunken free.

“Where’s the basement?” Gideon asked as Mrs. Dunken pointed at the stairs.

“Under the stairs.” She shouted still frantic.

“Captain, get them out of here and then secure the house. I don’t want this bastard getting away.” Naruto stated making the captain nod as his men got the three out while Naruto, Morgan, and Gideon went down to the basement just as the lights went out.

The three moved slowly and carefully scanning the room, “Karl?” Naruto called as he took point, “Karl, it’s the FBI.” Naruto stated as they moved and found him huddled behind some Christmas decorations cooing at the baby.

Karl then looked at them as their flashlights came on him. All three moved slowly keeping the guns trained on him, “Karl.” Gideon stated with Karl shushing him slightly, “Why don’t you give me the baby?” Gideon asked as the baby started crying, “Karl, I want you to look at me. I’m gonna put my gun away and I want you to hand me that baby.” Gideon stated slowly putting his gun away while Morgan and Naruto kept theirs trained on him.

Karl slowly stood while seeming nervous and slowly walked towards Gideon. However, once he got close, he frowned and threw the baby at Morgan, who caught the baby before it he could hit anything, before slashing at Gideon with a knife. Naruto pushed Gideon out of the way before grabbing and breaking Karl’s wrist, causing him to scream and drop the knife. Naruto then pinned Karl to the wall with his hands around his throat, “You move, and I will break your neck.” Naruto threatened as he held Karl there, who was choking slightly.

Morgan calmed the baby as Gideon got the handcuffs and hooked Karl up before taking him to the car. Naruto smiled slightly seeing Morgan hand the baby back to Mrs. Dunken.

**_BAU_ **

Naruto, Gideon, and Morgan stepped out of the elevator escorting Karl, who now had a splint over his right arm due to Naruto breaking his wrist. The whole time, Karl was impassive or smiling at everyone in a friendly matter while being taken to the interrogation room. Morgan took him there while Gideon and Naruto stopped at JJ.

“He say anything?” JJ asked Naruto shook his head, “Well, forensics couldn’t find any foreign DNA. Hotch did find a box of wedding rings, we sent them down to the lab to be tested for DNA while forensics are also going over his car and the Dunken house. With the rings were also restraints, videos of the families’ first sessions, and journals marked for each family… They found a total of 8 for the rings, journals, and videos.” JJ stated making Naruto and Gideon nod.

“We still might need the confession just to further bury him.” Naruto stated making JJ look at him.

“Can you get one?” She asked curiously and Naruto smiled.

“Did you do what Gideon asked?” He asked and she nodded, “Then most likely we will.” Naruto stated as he and Gideon went to the interrogation room.

Gideon sat down across from Karl while Morgan leaned against a wall behind him and Naruto merely stood there, “Emily Crawford was a very talented and gifted girl. Her brother Sam, a bright, energetic child.” Gideon stated while noticing Karl looking at the board behind him knowing there was a mistake there that would drive Karl to be angry since there was a photo that was wrong, “You watched them from the yard for days, maybe even weeks. You learned everything about them, you studied their every move, and then you wrote it all down.” Gideon stated calmly knowing the irritation was going to be building up in Karl.

“May I have a glass of water please?” Karl stated trying to remain calm.

“Something wrong, Karl?” Naruto asked knowing that the mix up was eating away at him.

“No, I’m just thirsty.” Karl stated still trying to be calm. Gideon nodded to an agent who started getting the water while Karl flexed his hands, “Can you please remove the shackles? I’m clearly no threat to you.” Karl asked then clarified and Naruto shook his head.

“Sorry, no. They are for your protection at the moment.” Naruto stated knowing that any movement he made from being free of the shackles gave any of the agents in the room the right to shoot him if it seemed like a threatening move.

Karl sighed and started sipping the water he was given as Gideon continued, “You chose families that reminded you of the one you lost. You stalked them, you bound them, you terrorized them, then you killed them… one by one. We have your journals, Karl.” Gideon stated making Karl sigh and straighten himself.

“It’s my job… to write everything down, to get to know them. I can’t help them solve their problems without knowing background. And I make home visits… sometimes without their knowledge because people lie.” Karl stated as he got a bit more angered while Gideon just smirked, “You of all people, should know that.” Karl stated before Gideon showed a picture of Reese Miller’s family making Karl scoff, the Crawford Family was shown making him roll his eyes, then the Auditore family making snort, the Smith family making him click his tongue, and then the Davenport Family making him glare.

“Eric Miller was an awful husband and father. Allison Crawford hemorrhaged money her husband didn’t have. Giovanni was more concerned helping clients keep their money then he was about his family’s happiness. Stan Smith regularly blew money they didn’t have and then expected people to just give him money for no reason. Achilles was too kind and soft with his children, Aveline regularly got into trouble at school and Connor was fighting with every boy he could. Such things can strain any marriage.” Karl stated making Gideon nod before he showed him his own family picture making Karl bite his lip.

“On the surface, that looks like any family, U.S.A. 2 parent household, 2 kids, boy and girl. If you look a little closer, you’ll see their body language tells a different story. The woman and children are distant from the man. Their smiles are stiff. Their eyes are frightened. Every hair is in place, wearing their Sunday best, their own private Hell being memorialized on film.” Naruto stated while Karl was only half listening as the mistake on the board was still eating away at him.

“Something wrong?” Gideon asked as Karl kept squirming and trying to control himself.

“It isn’t right.” Karl ground out trying to control himself.

“What’s not?” Naruto asked feigning ignorance.

Karl snarled, “You got the pictures, mixed up!” He shouted with Naruto having the agents stand down as Karl pointed at the board, “The one in the middle, THAT is Sam Crawford’s. It…should…be…Ty…MILLER’S!” He shouted as Gideon turned to look at the board, “You _need_ … to swap them. You _NEED_ to make it right.” Karl stated breathing heavily.

Naruto stood and moved over before pointing to a child’s foot with white skin that was among the Miller Family crime scene photos, “This one right here?” Naruto asked pointing to it.

“What the hell have I been trying to tell you?” Karl stated nearly dumbfounded.

“You’re right. They’re switched. That _is_ Sam Crawford’s foot with the Miller family, but how did you know that, Karl?” Naruto stated then asked as he looked at him.

Karl merely turned his head away as JJ walked up a bit seeing they had him. It wasn’t much longer till he confessed telling them everything he did to avoid the death penalty. Giving every detail of each family and how he did it all with no shame, hesitation, or remorse.

When asked why the father last, he replied, “So he could see… what happens to families when the head of household isn’t strong. Wives wither. Children perish. But me? I’m an excellent father.” He stated while crying a bit knowing he had no chance of seeing his family again.

Naruto merely shook his head before leaving, even now the fool was too blind to see that he was no better than anyone else he found fault in.

Coming back to the bullpen, Naruto saw Elle sitting there, “Congrats, you got to close a case that had been eating at you.” Elle stated offering him some water, which he took.

“Yeah, but if I had been faster years ago, I could have saved four families.” Naruto stated not really feeling sorry for himself, but wished he could have helped them.

“Hey, we do what we can when we can, you’re the one always talking about how we can’t save anyone no matter how hard we try. Don’t beat yourself up over something beyond your control.” Elle stated taking his hand making him smile a bit before the Marshalls arrived making him sigh before he kissed her hand and walked off.

“Make sure Reid gives Eric Miller that photo.” Naruto called as he left.

Elle for her part, blushed a bit before going back to her paperwork glad that she’d get to see the blonde haired man again.

**_Unknown Place and Time_ **

“So it’s been confirmed? Naruto Namikaze is working for the BAU to take down different killers?” A male voice asked in a darkened room with a few others.

“Yes sir, he’s escorted from prison to the BAU by an armed transport of Martials before going around the country with their top team.” Another male voice stated while another growled.

“I don’t give a damn who we have to go through! I want him to suffer for what he’s done.” The third male voice growled angrily.

“And he will, but we will not jeopardize ourselves or our operations to get him. He knows too much and showing our hand early could be disastrous for us. For now, we wait and prepare.” The first voice stated with authority making the others sound off in agreement, even if the third voice’s was reluctant.

 _“I don’t care what it costs or takes, I’ll get that miserable bastard for what he did to my son.”_ The third person thought already making his own plans for when the time came. If his allies wouldn’t help him, then they were dead weight and expendable.

**Done!**

**Naruto caught a killer, but he’s being targeted by a group of individuals now. Who are they? What do they have against Naruto? Does Naruto even know who they or what he supposedly knows?**

**All that will be revealed… later!**

**Anyway, I used the Davenport (plus Aveline), Auditore, and Smith family since the episode only gave five of the eight families that Karl Arnold killed. Three of which you only learn if you look closely at the tapes in Karl’s little hiding spot. So I decided to do some families from other items to fill in the missing 3.**

**Keep checking my profile for polls especially since it’s looking like I’ll have to redo my current one again after I’ve cut the bottom choices.**

**That’s about it, so I’ll y’all later!**


	5. Hunter and Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A triple murder brings the team on the trail of a hitman, one who Naruto understand very well

**Hey everyone and welcome back to Serial Killer.**

**To comment on some of the people stating that Naruto has been handling a good chunk of the profiling, keep in mind that in a dozen or so episodes the team has said, “These guys are even better profilers than we are. They can spot each other or any kind of prey that fits their interests easily. Pedophiles can pick out the one kid from the group that won’t scream or fight when they’re grabbed.” So Naruto is naturally a better profiler than they are because his prey is the various serial killers across the world. Not saying he’s infallible, as I had him be wrong in the LDSK chapter, but he’s just more attuned to hunting these people than the team is.**

**Now, I don’t think I have anything else to address, so let’s get this show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item or anything else I add in just to give more context or background for Naruto.**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 5: Hunter and Killer**

**Season 1, Episode 8: Natural Born Killer**

**Episode Quotes: “There is no hunting like the hunting of man. And those who have hunted armed men long enough, and liked it, never really care for anything else.” –Hemingway**

**“The healthy man does not torture others. Generally, it is the tortured who turn into torturers.” –Carl Jung**

**_******** Naruto’s Prison: LEMON WARNING ***********  
_** “OH FUCK!” Kurenai moaned out as her lover fucked her while she sat on his lap and his hands played with her tits and pussy, which was due to the fact his dick was up her ass. She was dressed in simple black stockings and heels and nothing else while her clothes were on a nearby box, laid out neatly to keep them presentable for when she left. One could also see a tattoo above her pussy that read, “For Naruto’s use only.” She had gotten it to show she really did belong to him and had one other tattoo to show it as well.

The two had been going at it for quite a while, pushing five hours, and it was evidenced by them being covered in sweat and Kurenai’s pussy leaking his cum as Naruto rubbed it into her. Neither cared of course since Kurenai enjoyed the feel and Naruto was having too much fun teasing and playing with Kurenai… plus she’d “properly” clean his fingers afterwards.

Naruto then began sucking and kissing along her neck and collarbone causing her to gasp and moan in pleasure as she held his head and kept bucking her hips as he thrusted up into her. This was their last round of fun for the night since Kurenai could only visit for so long as this WAS still a max security prison. Naruto was already the only prisoner with any kind of social visits and such a thing was bending or breaking some rules already.

Hence the reason why they were thoroughly enjoying it as they had the other times that Naruto had gotten a visit.

Kurenai then gasped as she was turned and placed on her hands and knees as Naruto gripped and slapped her ass while thrusting into her hard and fast, causing her to pant and gasp in pleasure. She loved to be fucked like this, while him making sweet love to her would make her orgasm into bliss, this was what she loved having him do the most. She just had to be careful when she indulged in it as Karin could only handle gentle and loving sex for the longest time. Of course, this was before Naruto was caught so there was that. It also gave Naruto a nice view of the tattoo above her ass that read, “Property of Naruto.”

Kurenai then moaned as Naruto grabbed her hair and pulled her back as he kept thrusting and spanking her, “Enjoying this, you red eyed whore?” Naruto whispered in her ear making her squeal slightly as her pussy sprayed beneath her.

Naruto smirked at his second lover, despite her prim and proper appearance, Kurenai loved being talked to and used like a whore and being fucked in every way possible. Hence why he had fucked her ass, used her roughly, and talked down at her a lot of times and she loved it to the fullest. She wasn’t the only kinky one either as each of his girls had kinks and desires in bed, though Karin was the hardest at times since pushing past her experience and the trauma made it take time for her to be comfortable entirely with sex and her desires.

Shaking those thoughts away as his first love would visit him when she was ready, Naruto pulled Kurenai back and kissed her while his other hand snaked down and began pinching her clit. Kurenai moaned lewdly into Naruto’s mouth as she loved the sex he was giving her and continued to do it for another hour.

**_*******LEMON END*********_ **

Naruto and Kurenai were redressed and simply laying with each other after cleaning up, mainly Kurenai’s tongue licking herself and Naruto clean. However, a thump at the door signaled it was time to separate again making them both sigh before they stood and Naruto gave her one more intense kiss. After separating, they opened the door and Naruto was escorted back to his cell as Kurenai left.

However, she had an unexpected guest in the form of one Asuma Sarutobi following her, “Can I help you?” Kurenai asked with a bit of annoyance.

“I was just wondering if you’d like to get a drink? You know, spend some time with a real man and not some convict.” Asuma stated in what he thought was a suave smooth tone since he didn’t understand why a criminal like Naruto had a babe like Kurenai.

He then smirked as she giggled, “Wow, it’s pretty hilarious that you think you actually measure up to him. Go find a more desperate woman since you’re never getting me because you’ll never be as good as him.” Kurenai stated while now laughing as she walked away and Asuma glared at her retreating form as other nearby guards were stifling their laughter from seeing him get shot down so hard.

 _“I’ll show you just how well I measure up, you stuck up bitch.”_ Asuma thought angrily as he marched back to his post fuming.

**_Next Morning: Baltimore Maryland: Dimarco Household_ **

Cop cars and officers were all around a house as Naruto got out of the car with the others aside from Morgan, who was already on site and waiting for them, “Glad you guys could make it, though I hope you haven’t had breakfast yet.” Morgan stated as he led the others into the house, “I was teaching an in-service at the Baltimore Field Office when this came in. Baltimore PD’s seen some grisly stuff, but this is something else entirely.” Morgan stated as he led them through the house.

“I’ll bet, barely inside and I can already practically taste the copper in the air.” Naruto stated as he looked at the different pictures on the wall and tables.

“Just wait till you see it. We’ve got two bodies identified as William and Helen Dimarco. Both retired, lived here for 37 years, no kids. Neighbor reported a white male 20-40 years old fleeing the scene, and I quote, “Hopped on those damn drugs” end quote.” Morgan stated reading off the report to the team as he began to climb the stairs.

“Well we know how reliable eyewitness reports are.” Elle stated knowing they couldn’t fully trust that description.

“But it is a starting point nonetheless.” Naruto added as he looked around intently, “Regardless, it sounds like a standard double homicide, why’d they call us?” Naruto asked before they reached the bathroom and he paused, “Oh.” Naruto stated seeing the blood splatters, sprays, drops, pools, and more.

“Yeah, Massive Overkill doesn’t begin to describe.” Morgan stated as the team looked around and he pointed to a vanity where the largest pool of blood was, “Helen Dimarco was found here, tied to the chair in front of the vanity. No defensive wounds. Ligature marks around the wrists, one clean laceration from ear to ear.” Morgan stated motioning to his ear and then going across his throat to the other ear.

“Looks arterial, probably took the entire carotid. At least she went quickly.” Elle stated and Naruto frowned.

“I think that was the intention.” Naruto stated as he looked at the shower and bathtub closely.

“How do you mean?” Elle asked as she knew Naruto wasn’t wrong about these kinds of things.

“Well, based on the blood in this shower, he played with his food on this one. And since he the tub has a blood ring around it, I’m willing to bet there was a third body he didn’t want connected to him somehow and he played with that one too. However, Mrs. Dimarco was quick and clean, no suffering, no prolonged torture or massive overkill.” Naruto stated as he examined the room closely, “Mr. Dimarco in the shower?” Naruto asked as he squatted near it.

“Yeah. Ligature marks on the wrists and ankles, plus evidence of torture: burns, contusions, lacerations. You name it, this guy tried it. Then to finish him off, there was one long laceration up the abdomen, through both layers of muscle.” Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“Evisceration, that’s typical of disorganized behavior.” Reid stated only for Elle to shake her head.

“Despite the mess, this shows method, order, control. I’d say he was organized.” Elle stated and Naruto nodded.

“And because of torture being the signature, the methods are usually unique. Isn’t that right Reid?” Naruto asked and Reid nodded.

“Yes, a person who burns someone doesn’t usually use a knife.” Reid stated making the others frown except Naruto.

“So, maybe we have more than one killer, or we have one killer with more than one personality.” Hotch stated making Naruto frown.

“Like Naruto said, we also have three victims. Wife is at the vanity, Husband is at the shower, so who is in the tub? The ring looks to be high enough for an entire body’s volume of blood.” Gideon stated.

“Approximately 10.6 pints.” Reid provided as Naruto was still squatting near the shower.

“Which means the victim was dismembered. And from the looks of it, he took all the parts with him.” Elle stated making the team nod before she looked at Naruto, “You’re playing it all, aren’t you?” Elle asked knowing that at these scenes Naruto would play out the methodology in detail within his head.

“Yes.” Naruto stated before he stood and sighed, “One killer. One personality. Three victims. Two aggressive and hate filled kills on males. One quick clean mercy kill that he didn’t want to do on a female.” Naruto stated making the team look at him.

“Reasoning?” Gideon asked as he wanted to know the method behind the statements and decisions to gain a better understanding, both of Naruto and the Unsub.

“Both males, pictures downstairs show a young man staying with them and since they had no kids I’m guessing a nephew or troubled youth they were sheltering, have extensive damage and pain inflicted on them while the female was a quick clean kill guaranteed to be fast and nearly painless. The older male I’m willing to bet had it worse than the younger, so our guy hates males and especially ones that are older so they are surrogates. This leads to the usual conclusion that he was abused as a child by a parent, but he doesn’t hate women so either a woman saved or protected him or the father beat the mother just as bad if not worse than the son. Based on the fact he didn’t know a woman would be here, he either didn’t know the intended victim that well or he did this on impulse and fear that something was about to happen.” Naruto stated making the team nod seeing the point.

“Intended victim?” Morgan asked and Naruto merely motioned to the tub.

“Why leave two bodies out but hide the third? Either because he could be connected to the killer or because the killer wanted a potential patsy to pass it off on while he laid low and left the area. My guess though, it was both rolled into one and the patsy has a criminal record that will immediately bring up some red flags and tag him as a suspect until we find him somewhere dead. However, that may be easier than we think since if this is the first time he’s had to force himself to kill someone he didn’t want to for self-preservation, he’ll be confused, stumbling, panicking, and making mistakes, so the body may not be hidden that well.” Naruto stated making them nod slowly, “Ask PD to do a thorough search of trash cans, dumpsters, and trash heaps up to a few miles from here. If he was panicking, then he wouldn’t have kept the body bags for long.” Naruto stated making them nod since it was a fair point.

“Get JJ here and ready, the circus will be showing up soon.” Gideon stated as they left the bathroom and headed downstairs.

The team looked over the house for a few minutes looking over the file and reports before they started talking more, “So what do we have on the suspect based just on the bodies that we do have?” Hotch asked and Naruto snorted.

“He’s ruthless, sadistic, brutal, and has an experienced hand. From what I see on Mr. Dimarco, he knew exactly where to hit with the different implements and punches to cause considerable pain but ensure it didn’t end quickly with his death, shock, unconsciousness, or potential cardiac arrest.” Naruto stated making them nod.

“Typically, torture falls into two categories: Sadistic and Functional. Functional is used to extract information or to punish. It’s measured, impersonal, completely disinterested.” Reid stated and the others nodded.

“Like military tactics.” Hotch stated making both Naruto and Reid nod.

“Exactly, and then sadistic torture is used to extract some emotional need. Like say, revenge on someone you hate.” Naruto stated as he saw them nod.

“But Sadists are sexually deviant, yet there’s no evidence of sexual contact.” Elle stated making Naruto snort.

“That we know of.” Hotch stated looking at Elle.

“What do you mean?” Reid asked and Naruto shook his head.

“We don’t have the third body yet.” Naruto stated making Reid gain a look of understanding, “Though there still won’t be anything from it in that category. Sadism is beyond normal sexual deviancy as it takes different forms like many other aspects. In this, it’s rage and pain being given out rather than taking it, the abuser getting the power to abuse now. However, rather than continuing the cycle, he is taking out his rage and pain on surrogates for the person he couldn’t take it out on or perhaps the person he began taking it out on but he ended it to quickly and it left him feeling empty.” Naruto supplied making them nod since not everything was black and white when it came to these guys at times.

“Naruto, bathroom again, I want to run through the scenario.” Gideon stated making Naruto nod as he followed Gideon up with Reid and Elle following.

Morgan however sighed causing Hotch to look at him, “Something wrong?” Hotch asked and Morgan grunted a bit.

“Months with this guy, and I still can’t get used to him and all of you seemed to have found some kind of equilibrium with him. I’m glad for the help he’s given, I really am, but he’s still a serial killer, Hotch. He’s still the same kind of person we put away and we’re taking him with us and treating him as a teammate.” Morgan stated and Hotch stood there letting him vent.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Gideon is interested in his methodology in order to become better at catching and empathizing with more Unsubs. Elle is intrigued by him because she finds him as a natural curiosity. JJ and Garcia have only seen the friendly side and never the darker side. I don’t really mind him so long as he helps get the job done right. Reid doesn’t mind him because he’s intrigued by him and has rationalized that Naruto isn’t a threat as the only people he’s ever hurt are serial killers.” Hotch stated before Morgan spoke.

“That we know of, Hotch, that we know of. He could have other victims that he’s never told us or mentioned or even hinted at that have nothing to do with serial killing.” Morgan stated and Hotch nodded.

“Is that you as a profiler or you as a cop?” Hotch stated making Morgan bite back a retort and sigh, “I understand it’s not easy, and you’re free to take time off whenever you need it, but orders came from above and no matter how many waves Gideon or I could make over the matter, nothing would come of it because the Director ordered it. You don’t have to like him, you don’t even have to respect him, but at least find a way to work with him so we can stop more Unsubs from claiming more lives.” Hotch stated before an officer motioned to him and he went over to talk while Morgan merely sighed again.

Upstairs, Naruto was standing in the middle of the room with Gideon by the door, Elle by the vanity, and Reid by the shower, “Ok, you got the three tied and ready for you to do your work. Mrs. Dimarco tied to the chair, Mr. Dimarco bound in the shower, and victim number 3 most likely bound in the tub. Who do you start with?” Gideon asked and Naruto motioned to the vanity.

“Mrs. Dimarco.” Naruto stated as the others nodded.

“To prove to the others that you have no mercy?” Elle asked and Naruto shrugged a bit.

“Yes and no, I kill her first because I don’t want to kill her, but since I did this on impulse, evidenced by the fact I didn’t have my face covered, I can’t risk her staying alive. My self-preservation outweighs my preferences and even methodology. So, I skip my usual approach of torture and just kill her in a manner I know she will die, and it will be quick with no chance of suffering besides the feel of the cut at the start. It also spared her to see what I’m going to do to the men. However, it does work for me as it inspires fear and psychological torture on the others before I begin their true pain and suffering. So, while I am upset I had to do this because I didn’t plan, I am happy that they suffer now because of it.” Naruto stated causing them to nod, while Reid was mentally noting all of this.

“There’s evidence of that since her death being so quick and clean would never give the Unsub the satisfaction he desired even if he would normally kill a woman.” Gideon supplied since they couldn’t only rely on Naruto’s knowledge.

“That’s when I went to the husband next and made sure to take my time. Victim 3 I am personally targeting, meaning I want to be sure that I get whatever it is I want from him besides his death.” Naruto stated and Elle spoke up.

“There’s no wasted effort on his part anywhere in this, no hesitation at all on the Unsub’s part. I mean, look at all he did, it’s a lot of work. Tiring, attention gaining, time consuming work. We’re either dealing with a professional or…” Elle stated and was finished by Gideon.

“A pure psychopath.” Gideon stated as he looked around the room and sighed, “Nothing more we can do here until the third victim turns up. Like Naruto suggested, there’s probably a connection to him. He did not want that victim identified.” Gideon stated as he began heading downstairs followed by the others with Hotch and Morgan meeting them by the door, “Have Garcia go through open files in Maryland, see if any of them involve this level of torture.” Gideon stated as they stood by the front door.

“You got it.” Morgan stated before Naruto added in.

“Have her check the surrounding states as well. If the guy’s a pro, why only do jobs close to home?” Naruto stated making Gideon and the others nod.

“How far back should she go?” Elle asked and Gideon looked to Naruto who frowned.

“At least 10 years. This guy definitely isn’t a rookie.” Naruto stated causing them to nod before they headed back to the BAU.

**_Next Day_ **

Naruto sat drinking some coffee as Gideon tacked up the picture of the third victim after a homeless guy looking for food found the head in a trash bag, “Third victim was positively identified as a low-level mob guy.” Morgan stated walking in with some paperwork, “Frederick “Freddy” Condore. The older couple’s nephew.” Morgan stated making Naruto tip his cup at them, “Body parts were found in 7 different trash cans 2 blocks from the crime scene.” Morgan stated making Naruto raise an eyebrow.

“Ok, well then this is definitely the first time he had to kill when he didn’t want to, he didn’t even make it a mile before he dumped the parts.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod as Reid looked interested.

“Were they able to completely reassemble the body?” Reid asked with a frown.

“Killer kept nothing.” Morgan stated making them frown.

“Any evidence he got off?” Elle asked making Morgan shake his head.

“Told you.” Naruto stated before he smirked as Elle just flipped him off with a smile.

“Garcia has a number of unsolved murders in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland over the past 15 years. Many of them have ties to organized crime, all different M.O.s.” Reid stated making Morgan and Elle frown.

“So what’s the connection?” Elle asked and Naruto smirked.

“Torture. Marks on the bones are consistent with the same cutting tool.” Morgan stated making Elle nod.

“Since most of the victims are tied to organized crime and we have no signs of sexual sadism, we’re looking at a Hit Man. A psychopath’s dream job.” Naruto stated making Elle and Reid nod while Gideon was looking over things still.

“But a Hitman doesn’t need to torture to get the job done.” Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, but their employers usually don’t care what you do to the target before you kill them, just so long as they’re dead and likely won’t be found for a long time. Essentially you have a serial killer with a target rich environment and the means to travel and get away at any time because of the funds he’s getting. Plus the mobs will supply him with almost anything he could want or need to either escape, lay low, or do his business in seclusion with no worries.” Naruto stated making Morgan nod at seeing his point since he could hunt for targets and make easy money doing it with the mob covering for him so the cops can’t find him easily.

They turned their attention to JJ as she walked in, “Two things: Baltimore just forwarded a sketch of the man seen running from the crime scene, and you’ve got some agents out there that think you’re poaching on their turf.” JJ stated handing a sketch to Gideon before directly addressing him.

“I’ll handle it.” Gideon stated as he got up and Naruto went to the doorway to see who it was while Reid looked at the sketch.

Naruto watched as Gideon and Hotch greeted Special Agent in Charge Josh Cramer, in charge of organized crime in Baltimore, “Jason Gideon. BAU’s pretty famous.” Cramer stated while keeping a charming smile on his face.

“Brought the whole team, huh?” Gideon asked with a smile.

“Yeah, well, we were in town.” Cramer stated while his posture showed he wanted to get this meeting over with so he could go.

“We were just going over the case. Want to join us?” Gideon offered and Cramer smiled and shook his head.

“I’d love to, but I can’t stay. I just wanted to come down and say thank you for going to Baltimore yesterday looking into this for us, but now that it’s pretty obviously an organized crime case, we’re gonna go ahead and take over for you. I’m sure you guys have enough to do with your psychos.” Cramer stated trying to be charismatic and Naruto just snorted before taking a sip of his coffee.

“You don’t think that the guy who killed the Dimarcos is a psycho?” Hotch asked curiously.

Cramer merely gave a stiff smile, “Well, what he is now is my problem. But again, thanks for coming out.” Cramer stated and Gideon nodded.

“Anything we can do to help.” Gideon stated as he stuck his hand out.

“Appreciate that. We’re pretty good at this.” Cramer stated shaking Gideon’s hand.

“You got it. You know where we live.” Gideon stated as he walked back and Cramer looked and saw Naruto there, who smirked and raised his cup towards him before following Gideon into the conference room. The whole time enjoying the surprised look on Cramer’s face as they left.

Naruto then turned as he closed the door and saw Gideon at the white board, “So we dropping it?” Morgan asked and Naruto snorted.

“Hell no, they’ve got no idea what kind of shit they are dealing with right now.” Naruto stated making Elle nod as Gideon kept writing on the board.

“Unsub is male, intelligent, organized, and methodical. He has the confidence of a man who’s been killing for a long time. Only victim removed from the scene is Freddy Condore, indicating some tie to him. Elle, you and Reid stay on Condore’s background with Garcia. Dig deep, see what turns up.” Gideon stated making the two nod.

“Condore worked as a supervisor at a scrap metal yard in Baltimore. It’s owned by a guy named Michael Russo, boss of a small mob crew. I’m gonna grab Hotch and go check him out.” Morgan stated causing Gideon to nod.

“Hey.” Naruto called getting Morgan to stop, “Be prepared to face a professional liar, maybe see about twisting the info a bit and see if he reacts. Also, might want to not mention the guy being paranoid till we can get a name or better lead since it might spook him into contacting the Unsub and then we could lose him forever.” Naruto stated making Morgan nod as he kept walking, “While they do that, we play connect the scumbags and find the right one.” Naruto stated with a shrug.

Naruto, Elle, and Reid then moved to Garcia’s room and began working with her on the known associates.

Currently Naruto was behind Garcia while Reid sat next to her and Elle went to get a coffee, “Your re breathing on my neck.” Garcia stated and Naruto smirked before he got next to her ear.

“Is this better?” Naruto stated making her grin before she shrugged him away while she kept typing.

“You two having fun?” Elle asked coming back in and Naruto chuckled.

“Oh, yeah. Sifting through the life and times of Freddy Condore with Dr. Reid and Foxy here is a party I wouldn’t want to miss.” Garcia stated as she kept typing.

“Well, once you cut the sifting and Reid from the equation you mean.” Naruto stated teasingly making Garcia smile a bit as she kept typing.

“Credit cards show that Freddy loved crab cakes, preferred light beer, and used to spend his Thursday nights with a woman in Fells Point.” Garcia stated before noting Elle’s cup and moved it about a six inches from where Elle put it, “An, uh, expensive woman.” Garcia stated as she kept typing and Elle just looked at Reid and Naruto.

Naruto smirked and mouthed, “Don’t endanger a nerd girl’s tech.” causing Elle to smirk and nod seeing his point since Garcia would literally kill her if her coffee somehow spilled onto her set up.

“What about his associates?” Elle asked picking her cup back up.

“Most of them, shockingly, have criminal records.” Naruto answered leaning behind Garcia again, “However, one is a bit interesting despite Reid’s claim that he’s very interesting. Bring up James Baker’s rap sheet.” Naruto stated and Garcia quickly clicked it up, “So to a normal guy, this seems normal, but see if you can spot the red flag in this: He spent time in Juvie for attempted murder, released at age 21, and then arrested, in order, for armed robbery, petty theft, burglary, narcotics sales, and rape.” Naruto stated making Elle raise an eyebrow.

“But there’s no other sexual assault complaint in his file.” Elle stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, and while this jolted mess can seem strange for a person to do, there are possibilities for this such as the fact that he may have been arrested for these but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do other things between arrests. Such as the attempted murder, could be a kid went after his parent as they abused a sibling or the other parent. The burglary could have been a rape, but parents wanted to protect the child and thus didn’t want report it and make their child “that kid” as it were. However, I don’t think he did any of this and it’s based off of Cramer’s sudden urge to take over the case.” Naruto stated and Elle and Reid looked at him.

“Oh shit.” Elle stated causing Garcia to look at her.

“What?” Garcia asked in confusion.

“When someone plugs in random acts of crime for a rap sheet, it means one of two things: Either the precinct was updating files and someone screwed up or someone was building a cover story for someone and we just had a senior FBI agent come to take the case from us just as we get a lead on a suspect.” Naruto stated making Garcia widen her eyes since that wasn’t good at all, “Bring his picture up since we can always arrest and bring him in under a cover if needed.” Naruto stated as Garcia typed and his picture came up showing a near identical match to the sketch, “Damn.” Naruto cursed as he quickly got his phone out, “Hotch, go to the following address and look through it. I think this case just got more complicated and whatever you find at the address is gonna confirm it.” Naruto stated before telling the Hotch the address and went to tell Gideon that their suspect is an undercover cop or FBI agent.

**_Next Morning: BAU_ **

Naruto sighed as he saw Cramer march towards Hotch’s office angrily no doubt because he just got word that they ran his agent’s gun that Hotch and Morgan found in his crash pad, “What the hell is wrong with you people?” Cramer shouted slamming Hotch’s office door hard enough that it didn’t stay closed.

“I’m sorry?” Hotch asked calmly as he set down the paperwork he was doing.

“I told you, this is my case!” Cramer shouted and Hotch rose slowly.

“All right, first of all, don’t shout at me. Secondly, you don’t decide what cases the BAU works on.” Hotch stated calmly as Gideon walked to the door.

“You ran my agent’s gun through IBIS?” Cramer asked as if he wasn’t sure if this was a joke or not.

“’Cause I wanted to know who he worked for, and now that I do, I’d like to talk to him.” Hotch stated surprising Cramer.

“Y-you don’t have him?” Cramer asked, surprise clearly on his face and Hotch furrowed his brow.

“No. You don’t know where he is?” Hotch asked as Gideon came in and Cramer sat down worried.

“He’s missing.” Cramer stated calmly, but it was clear he wasn’t at all.

“How long?” Gideon asked knowing that it wasn’t good at all.

“Close to 13 hours now.” Cramer stated and Gideon nodded.

“Before or after the murders?” Gideon asked since they needed to know what to expect and plan for.

Cramer just looked at him like he was nuts before seeing Hotch was serious too, “You think Jimmy’s a suspect?” Cramer asked incredulously.

Gideon sighed, “Well, there’s a sketch of someone who looks an awful lot like him leaving the scene.” Gideon stated and Cramer scoffed.

“That’s because he was there. After. Look, he ran into a couple of Baltimore detectives, and they made him while he was with Condore. Now, Jimmy tried to play it off, but he didn’t think that Condore had bought it, so he wanted to go back and talk to him. When he saw what was left of the Dimarcos, he called us for a pickup. We showed up. He didn’t.” Cramer stated making it clear he was in fact worried.

“Could he have ran?” Hotch asked since the alternative was not good at all.

“No. Jimmy’s too experienced to run without contact. If he’s not calling in, then someone’s keeping him from doing it.” Cramer stated with full confidence in his agent.

“And who is Jimmy Baker’s target?” Gideon asked knowing that could play a part in finding him.

“Michael Russo.” Cramer stated looking at Gideon while his tone showed he wanted to go and gut Russo, which was likely do to believing that Russo knew where Jimmy was, “We’ve been after the guy for 3 years. Jimmy’s been under for almost 2.” Cramer stated knowing that the longer this took the closer his agent was to being dead.

“We spoke to Russo yesterday. He seemed genuinely surprised by the murders.” Hotch stated calmly now wishing he had brought Naruto.

“And you bought that? Let me tell you a little something about Michael Russo. The guy is a liar, and a good one. If he didn’t do it, then he knows who did.” Cramer stated as the two looked at him and he grit his teeth as he stood up, “Oh hell. You know what? I’m wasting my time with you. You obviously don’t get it.” Cramer stated before Naruto came to the door.

“That include me, Josh?” Naruto asked making Cramer stop dead in his tracks, “We aren’t the enemy, now sit down because we’re gonna need your help to catch both the Unsub and find your agent, hopefully alive.” Naruto stated as Cramer sighed and sat down.

Gideon and Hotch both exchanged glances since Naruto and Cramer seemed familiar with each other and both took a seat as Naruto leaned against the wall, “We’re not dealing with your typical mob thug or anything, this guy makes every mob member you’ve put away look like a saint ready for Sunday Church in comparison. You rush into this, your agent will die and possibly you too if the Unsub gets the chance. We can find the killer, but we need your help since you know the mob structure and members better than we do.” Naruto stated and Cramer swallowed a lump.

“Naruto, if this guy is as bad as you say, and he’s got Jimmy, did he kill him already?” Cramer asked and Naruto frowned a moment.

“Is Jimmy one to give in easily?” Naruto asked and Cramer shook his head quickly, “Then there’s a very good chance, the guy we want is after any information that could threaten him because self-preservation comes before everything. Longer Jimmy can hold out, the better and that means we can find him alive.” Naruto stated since until he knew the threat level, the Unsub wasn’t going to kill Jimmy especially with not knowing who he worked for.

Cramer nodded while sucking on his lips, “I’ll help you in any way that I can.” Cramer stated before pulling a picture out of his shirt pocket and putting it on Hotch’s desk, showing Jimmy with a wife and two kids, “And you help me get this man back to his family.” Cramer stated making Naruto nod as he went to leave, “And Naruto.” Cramer called making Naruto pause, “It’s good to see you.” Cramer stated making Naruto smirk and nod towards him before he went to the conference room.

Entering, he found Morgan and Garcia with a board of photos and a box of files, “How many are there?” Morgan asked and Garcia sighed.

“Well, I went back 15 years and there’s over 100.” Garcia stated surprising Morgan.

“A hundred unsolved murders.” Morgan stated making sure he heard that right.

“That we know of, and then there’s more coming in.” Garcia stated as Morgan opened a file and then groaned at first look.

“You know, we figured this guy was at it for a while, but this many victims? John Wayne Gacy killed at least 30 people and this guy’s more than tripled that.” Morgan stated and Naruto came in and looked at a file.

“Yeah, but he wasn’t getting resources, covers, and targets from different crime groups. Plus he most likely started young and took out different people to get better at his work and then eventually he took out a few mob guys and got some attention and then other mobs and such started paying him to take out more and more targets over the years and those that tried to take him out or double cross him were soon added to his kill list. Also since he’s a pure psychopath with no remorse, no conscience, no empathy, no disgust or flinch in causing pain, he could also take out any interrogation targets for the mobs. They want any piece of information, they give him the target, he extracts the info, and then he can play and kill when he’s done so long as he delivers the information to his employers. When business slowed down, he just targeted more people that met his criteria and then he’s back to the perfect career for his type of Unsub.” Naruto stated flipping through the files and not even reacting to the scenes.

“Russo’s got no idea what he is dealing with, we can probably use this to shake him loose.” Morgan stated as Naruto nodded.

“Take some photos of the Dimarco scene, a little show and tell might really shake him loose along with mentioning the Unsub’s paranoia once he learns Russo is talking to feds. Plus have a surveillance team watching him along with some phone listening gear as he no doubt checks his phones for wire taps.” Naruto stated making Morgan nod since working him up would at least get him to call the Unsub and maybe get them a name.

**_Couple Hours later_ **

“Naruto! Let’s go. Hotch and Morgan just shook Russo’s confidence.” Gideon stated and Naruto immediately stood and got his gun.

“Well, then they’re gonna have a face to face for Russo to get a read on him and we need to be there so Russo doesn’t get trigger happy.” Naruto stated as Gideon nodded.

“Elle, Reid, you stay on the surveillance team in place on Russo, you get anything you call immediately.” Gideon stated making the two nod as they went to Garcia’s room and Naruto got in the elevator.

“You realize we’re gonna have to be careful and have tasers ready? This guy isn’t going to come along peacefully and we kill him, we might never find Baker.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod.

“Yeah, I had Hotch tell SWAT to bring tasers for riot control level problems.” Gideon stated and Naruto nodded as the two quickly headed for Baltimore.

Arriving, the two sat and waited for the clear signal to enter since Elle had called and stated Russo was meeting the Hit Man at his shop that night.

After a little while, Naruto got a call from Reid, “Vincent Perotta. He’s got the full makings of the Unsub, even has a mention of him ‘faking an injury to get into the infirmary so he could get access to a boy that looked at him for too long’ and throwing a Molotov cocktail at a person sitting in their car. And this is all with him as a minor.” Reid stated making Naruto hum in thought.

“Alright, he fits. Call back if you find out more.” Naruto stated before he hung up, “All units, target’s name is Vincent Perotta, he is needed alive if at all possible.” Naruto stated over a walkie making everyone sound off.

Naruto and crew then entered the scrapyard when they got word from a sniper that someone had entered the facility and Elle then called to confirm it as Russo had taken a call and confirming that “Vinnie” had arrived. Cramer had gone with them too, but Naruto expressly told him to ensure that he kept his cool so that they could get Jimmy back, “Remember all units, we need the man alive.” Naruto stated over his walkie ear piece and received affirmatives from the cops.

“It’s clear.” Morgan stated from his area.

“Got nothing.” Cramer reported with a sigh.

“Hotch?” Naruto asked and when there was no reply he took off running to Hotch’s area. He arrived just in time to see Hotch get shoved against a white van and quickly tackled the individual to the ground and punched him in the face before he was elbowed. Perotta turned and threw a punch at Naruto, only for him to catch it and twist around sending Perotta to the ground before Naruto punched his elbow dislocating it and causing him to shout before he kicked Naruto off.

Standing up both Perotta and Naruto stared the other down as Hotch was still trying to get his bearings before Perotta reset his arm before throwing a punch at Naruto that was ducked. Naruto sent a jab to his ribs before leaning out of the way of a left hook and caught the arm before delivering a left cross, backhand, headbutt combo that sent Perotta staggering back. Naruto then grabbed Perotta’s jacket and slammed his forehead into Perotta’s nose a few times before Naruto grunted and lifted Perotta by his coat and pants over his head before slamming him back first onto the ground.

Before Perotta could try to get up, SWAT, Morgan, and Gideon arrived and had him staring down multiple gun barrels, “Move and you die.” Morgan stated as a SWAT officer came over and handcuffed Perotta while Naruto went over to Hotch.

“You alright?” Naruto asked making Hotch nod as he spat some blood out of his mouth.

“Yeah, thanks for the save.” Hotch stated as Gideon gave Hotch back his gun that was dropped in the fight.

SWAT then escorted Perotta to their van for transport to Quantico while Cramer came up, “They found a van just around the corner, blood all over. It’s being processed and they’ll send everything to Quantico.” Cramer stated making the others nod before Gideon sent the van off and they headed for their vehicles.

Arriving back at the BAU, they escorted Perotta to an interrogation room where he was chained and handcuffed down to the floor and his chair while Naruto and the others merely stood there watching from the viewing room and it was obvious Cramer was getting antsy, “Josh, calm down, we know what we are doing and trust me, normal interrogation won’t work on this guy. He’s basically been raised and bred that he should never trust anyone with anything at any time. It’s called Anti-Social Personality Disorder. In a nutshell, it means he’ll never trust anyone but himself.” Naruto stated making Cramer sigh as this wasn’t what he wanted to be doing right now.

“Then what the hell do we do?” Cramer asked and Naruto merely walked up to the glass.

“Make him uncomfortable and if Gideon allows it, I talk to him.” Naruto stated making a few of them look at him as Naruto just looked at Perotta, “From what I saw of the evidence boxes they brought in, there were tapes in his van. I wouldn’t watch them, but you should have Garcia strip the audio down to find any background noise or identifiers. Plus there were pizza boxes in his van, and you only get pizza from your neighborhood place so that should help narrow the search area further.” Naruto stated making a few of them nod while Morgan went to have Garcia start stripping the tapes.

“Why not watch the tapes?” Reid asked and Naruto sighed a bit.

“There his mementos, so I’m sure you can guess just WHAT is on them.” Naruto stated making Reid nod while glad he wasn’t going to watch them.

“You sure you wanna do it?” Gideon asked and Naruto nodded.

“I beat him in a fight, so I either earned his respect or his animosity, but either way I know him. While our targets were different, we likely had the same method and means to hunt.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod as Naruto placed his guns on the counter along with his knife, “Also, Josh, if you come into the room then all you’re going to do is either amuse him or antagonize him. So no matter how much he pisses you off, don’t barge in.” Naruto stated making Josh nod before Naruto walked into the interrogation room and to be safe Hotch and Elle blocked the door, “Hello Vincent, or would you prefer Vinnie?” Naruto asked as he took a chair and sat across from him.

“Doesn’t matter much to me. Though you could tell me who you are at least.” Perotta stated in an even, almost monotone, voice.

“I’m Naruto Namikaze, an advisor for the FBI.” Naruto stated looking at Perotta calmly.

“Are you afraid of me, Naruto?” Perotta asked completely relaxed and Naruto smiled.

“No more than you are of me.” Naruto stated and Perotta cracked a smile.

“That’s good, he got a positive reaction from him already.” Hotch noted as they all watched including Morgan as he came back in.

“You were advised of your rights?” Naruto asked and Perotta rolled his neck before motioning to the chains.

“Take these off and we’ll really talk.” Perotta stated and Naruto chuckled before he tossed him a key letting Perotta free his hands.

“What’s he doing?” Elle asked and Gideon just watched.

“Showing that he’s not afraid and that he’s not going to back down from Perotta.” Gideon stated as they watched two alpha male killers staring down at the other.

“So, you were advised of your rights?” Naruto asked and Perotta nodded, “So you want to talk now?” Naruto asked and Perotta shrugged.

“I got nothing to hide. Maybe we can even compare kill counts with each other.” Perotta stated making Naruto smirk, “You’re not like those other ones, you fight to survive and that look in your eye tells me you’re looking at all the different ways you could kill me before anyone could enter this room.” Perotta stated and Naruto nodded.

“I’m sure I’ve come up with as many ways for you as you’ve done for me.” Naruto stated with a smile as he instinctively cracked his hand while making a fist.

Perotta just smirked wider, “So you’re not with organized crime, then that means this is something more than my affiliation with Russo.” Perotta stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, I work with he BAU, which means we delve into the minds of Serial Killers and hunt them based on what they do, what their behavior tells us, and what drives them. In a lesser form of terms, we study how people like you think and why you do what you do… or rather they do that. I know fully well how you think and why you do what you do.” Naruto stated making Perotta nod interested, “They have a couple of words to describe you such as Psychopath. Paranoid Personality Disorder. And some others that are just kinda meh.” Naruto stated making Perotta tilt his head slightly.

“Well, what do they call you?” Perotta asked and Naruto shrugged.

“Not sure they have a term for me, you see I didn’t hunt normal people, I hunted people like you. I hunted the hunters and won. A term you could say for me is a Personal Cause Killer in that I did it for a cause that struck home for me. In my case, my best friend turned out to be a sociopath and took the love of my life hostage and raped her repeatedly in front of me, killed my father in front of me, and tortured and tried kill me, so I broke him as I didn’t want his suffering to end. I wanted him to live with what I had done to him and know that he’d be trapped in a hell that I created for him never to escape.” Naruto stated surprising the agents except for Elle while Perotta nodded showing his own understanding.

“That seems quite fitting, the monster trapped in a prison that his prey created for him.” Perotta stated as Naruto nodded a bit.

“So tell, how quickly did you lose control and kill your father?” Naruto asked and Perotta raised an eyebrow at him, “Oh come on, he was a sadistic drunk of an ass who beat you and your mother ruthlessly every chance he got and always made sure no one knew about it. You learned to take the pain, smile, endure anything he threw at you, and you ensured you protected your mother since she suffered just as bad as you, but whenever one of you helped the other you got beat worse. However, through it all you dreamed of the day that you would be bigger and stronger and make him pay, but you were too inexperienced and you killed him too quickly so he didn’t get the suffering he deserved.” Naruto stated making Perotta twitch his neck a bit while sucking on his lips, “Ah. That’s it isn’t it, he died before you got your chance to really torture him.” Naruto stated making Perotta click his tongue.

“Yeah, old Frank cheated me once again. I put a rifle round through his leg, turns out he had a severe bleeding condition that made him bleed out less than a quarter of the time it usually takes. Ma managed to outlive his sorry ass and I was nice enough to not go hunting outside of animals until she passed.” Perotta stated as it was clear he still hated his father desperately.

“And that’s why you only killed males… until you slipped up with Condore.” Naruto stated making Perotta look at him directly and he leaned in.

“And how’s that?” Perotta asked making Naruto smirk and lean in as well.

“You didn’t plan it well enough, you let your paranoia get the better of you and ended up having to a kill a woman. I bet she was the first in a very long time because you can’t help but see your mother in their place. The men however, you can easily picture your father there in place of them and give him the pain he earned. But in killing Mrs. Dimarco, you spiraled a bit as you did the deed in their own home instead of your controlled environment and then you panicked by chopping up Freddy and moving the body not even a mile away from the crime scene. You knew he’d be traced back to Russo and that would eventually lead us to target his known associates and with quite a few dead or imprisoned, it would be a matter of time before we found you. We just pushed it along by poking Russo’s own paranoia about getting caught.” Naruto stated as he stood and went to the board before flipping it and showing pictures of Perotta’s victims.

“138 males and one female. You started slipping when you had to kill her.” Naruto stated as he looked at the board and Perotta stood and walked towards Naruto before standing beside him making the agents tense slightly.

“It was bound to happen. My mother was too close to me to just execute and seeing that woman… It was hard. I could do all these males over and over again with no issue, but her…” Perotta stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, for me it’s red heads. Can’t seem to do it cleanly because the love of my life is a red head. But you push through and apologize to them later on since it seems to kill something even if you make it so you feel nothing at all.” Naruto stated and Perotta merely hummed.

“The way the two of them act… it’s almost like..” Reid started and the others nodded.

“Like the two of them have been friends for years.” Hotch stated as they kept watching as Perotta took his seat again.

“So, who was your first kill if you merely trapped your former friend?” Perotta asked and Naruto merely shrugged.

“Tit for tat?” Naruto asked and Perotta merely shrugged and nodded.

“What’s that mean?” Reid asked and Elle hummed.

“Naruto will answer a question in exchange for Perotta answering a question for him.” Elle stated getting the gist of it, “Naruto wants to learn enough about him to know where Baker is without bringing up that he’s FBI.” Elle stated making them nod.

“Well let’s see, you never forget your first right? Well, mine was a sniveling coward midget of a man named Gato, and yes I am serious his name was cat. He fancied himself a crime boss, but he just butchered and killed anyone that got in his way with no real muscle behind while any women he took a liking to were chained and used like his personal whores. I knee capped him in both legs before I freed the women and let them get a bit of revenge, which I’m sure you can imagine what they did to him in many ways. Afterwards, I did a slight cut to his throat and then tied him upside down. Let him gurgle and choke on his own blood as the blood rushed to his head and slowly suffocated him while his head would feel like it was inflating like a balloon. Took him 32 minutes to die that way, and I’m sure it was because he was more fat and plaque in his arteries than straight up blood. Once that was done, I burned the entire building he owned down with him any security he had inside.” Naruto stated making Gideon and Hotch glance at each other since that was a kill they didn’t know about.

“Effective, did you make sure the blaze hit high enough to reduce his bones to ash?” Perotta asked and Naruto nodded.

“Fucker liked his alcohol, so I drenched the whole room in close to a gallon of the stuff along with every piece of flammable material there was and the gun powder from the bullets they had. Made for quite the display as the fire raged since I missed a few bullets so the minor explosions inside made for quite a fireworks display.” Naruto stated and Perotta nodded, “So, how long did it take you to learn never to kill above 5000 feet?” Naruto asked and Perotta shrugged a bit.

“Around 10 kills or so. Your board only shows the ones I killed inside city and populated areas, there’s several animals alive that probably fed on my work. The insects and critters don’t like the cold temperature that much, the evidence tends to linger longer than I like. I contemplated keeping some around for clean up, but the problem was training them and keeping them from going after other food sources rather than cleaning up my mess.” Perotta stated making Naruto nod.

“My turn, what was the most satisfying kill?” Perotta asked and Naruto frowned in thought a long moment.

“There was this sadistic freak of a man named Mayuri Kurotsuchi. He liked to kidnap people and use them for experiments to find new drugs, medicines, surgical applications, surgical methods, and more and when a subject died he simply harvested every valuable piece of the body left and sold it to other killers and sickos. There’s quite a few out there that will buy dismembered legs for the right price. When I caught him, I did what he did to his victims only I didn’t distribute the parts I just burned them for him to watch while he was still alive. Then I took his client list and started hunting down every name on there. It was the most satisfying as I got dozens of new targets from one kill all with locations and names, though a few of those were aliases and P.O. Boxes, but still enough to make headway.” Naruto stated making Perotta nod with a smile.

“Impressive, usually all I get is a photo and location then I remove them after getting any valuable information out of them. Keeps me valuable to other bosses should one start to get intimidated by me.” Perotta stated and Naruto nodded.

“Clever. Now, my turn, how come you didn’t burn down your father’s house instead of making it your killing spot for a home?” Naruto asked making Gideon look up.

“Morgan, Hotch, agent Cramer, find any location registered under Frank Perotta’s name.” Gideon stated making them nod as they quickly left with Morgan heading towards Garcia’s room since she was already combing the pizza delivery area and anything she got from the tapes.

Perotta smirked, “You’re the expert, Naruto, why don’t you tell me?” Perotta asked as he sat with his hands together.

Naruto merely smirked as he sat back, “Well, if I were you it would be one of or all of four reasons. 1) you lacked power in that house as a boy and young man, so now you show others your superiority and power in that house. 2) by doing it there you’re basically spitting in your father’s face by saying “look at me Frank, this is what you made me into, all of these people are on _your_ head not mine” and defiling what was his with what is now yours and yours alone. 3) you can’t do it because as much as you hate the memories of your father, the memories of your mother are there too and to destroy one is to destroy the other. Which is why I’m sure if I were to go into her house, you’d still be in your old room while your parents’ room would be pristine of your mother’s items, location, and placements while your father’s would be in shambles. 4) to destroy that house would be to fully admit and face that Frank is dead and you can’t accept that because he got off _far_ too light and should suffer more, but you can’t do anything more to him that he can actually feel so you keep the house and take out more pain and aggression on surrogates. However, you and I both know that’s not enough and it gets less pleasing each time so you go for more and more targets.” Naruto stated making Perotta remain silent a moment as he merely looked at the board of his more known victims.

“You know, you’re saving me thousands in therapy bills.” Perotta stated looking back at Naruto with a smirk.

Naruto merely chuckled as he looked at Perotta, “You grew up in a dangerous and abusive home, many would get driven mad and some have. It’s no wonder some of you grow up to become killers.” Naruto stated as he stood and an escort came to take Perotta.

“Some?” Perotta asked as Naruto turned to look at him, “You said some. I’m guessing you are among those that you counted and since you seemed to like your father, that means your mother did something.” Perotta asked and Naruto was silent for a long moment.

“My carrier was a spiteful greedy bitch. She only ever wanted money and luxury life despite the good life my dad provided while most of the marriage she was flat out telling him he was pathetic and weak or whining about how I was dragging her and my dad down by being another mouth to feed and stone around her neck. I usually replied by punching her square across the face and then flipping her off as I walked back to our house or my room. It got to the point my father even struck her when she tried to hit me back and that’s when she left.” Naruto stated surprising the agents and Perotta.

“So you got to fight back quite a bit, you ever hunt her down?” Perotta asked and Naruto shook his head.

“She was so pathetic that she wasn’t worth the effort, finding or possibly killing.” Naruto stated making Perotta shrug, “And I was also talking about one of my bosses, the one you were using as a punching bag. He was abused by his mother. He never told me or anyone, but it’s not hard to figure out when you look at his actions and the clues he unknowingly leaves. Even if he did hide it better, I could still see as I can see all the profiles, problems, wounds, and sadness that the team carries as it’s in my nature to see it all, so I know them better than anyone else on the team does… I just don’t advertise it or try to talk to them on things they buried and want to leave buried. Anyway, he grew up to catch killers, I grew into a killer of killers. It really just depends on what we decide to become later on.” Naruto stated surprising Elle and Reid while Gideon was impassive at the information.

“I see. I heard that the FBI interviews killers, you gonna talk to me?” Perotta asked as he was stood up and his restraints adjusted.

“Perhaps, if nothing else it makes for nice conversation. However, it depends on if you’re going to turn on the mobs and other employers since right now you’re looking at the Death Penalty. Turning evidence on them would get that off the table while living in a prison, but the mobs would send guys in and out of prison after you which means you’d still have people to kill over the course of the trials and testimonies.” Naruto stated making Perotta nod as he was led away.

“Nice talking to you, Naruto.” Perotta called making Naruto give a mock salute.

“Nice talking to you too, Vincent.” Naruto stated as he walked back to the bullpen with his hands in his pockets as Gideon and the other two came out.

“Do you really think Hotch went through that and we didn’t know?” Reid asked and Gideon was silent.

“Only if you never read him before.” Gideon stated walking off showing that he knew, but it wasn’t his to tell.

“Don’t mention this to Hotch, it won’t go well if you do.” Elle stated knowing that she’d have to really work on her poker face or Hotch would know something was up.

“Yeah, but Naruto… do you really think he knows us that well? And that he really went through that?” Reid asked and Elle was silent as she merely walked to the bullpen to give Naruto back his weapons and Reid frowned since that in a way answered his question.

“Hey guys, Morgan called. Agent Baker is alive, a bit beat up but alive and he shouldn’t be in any danger.” Garcia stated coming over and they all nodded while Naruto merely laid back in a chair.

He hated memories of his carrier. He refused to call the woman his mother as she never acted like it nor would she ever act like it. No, as far as Naruto was concerned he had one parent in all of his life and the man was gone now. If he ever did meet the woman again, it wouldn’t be pretty but he wouldn’t kill her, he hadn’t lied to Perotta when he said she really wasn’t worth the effort. Right now he just wanted to forget it all and not deal with it until he was forced to.

**_Unknown Location_ **

“No! Absolutely not! He’s in too deep to remove.” A voice stated with authority and finality to it.

“But sir, we’re so close, we can’t just leave him there.” Another voice echoed out.

“Do you doubt him?” The first voice stated and only silence was heard, “That’s what I thought. Until I say otherwise, Naruto Namikaze is to be untouched and left in the hands of the FBI. They’ll keep him safe and occupied till it’s time to pull him.” The voice stated making many grunt in acknowledgement knowing they’d have to sit and wait.  
 ** _Other Location: same time_**

“Sir, you do realize that fool will go after Namikaze eventually, whether you order him to or not.” A deep voice stated as another hummed.

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. His role with us is slowly being made obsolete and his recklessness brings danger to us all. When he makes his move, he will find himself alone with his own ilk and at the mercy of Namikaze and his allies. The fool knows nothing great about our dealings so even if Namikaze interrogates him, he will only gain hollow victories from lesser plans and agents that are expendable to us.” The leader spoke making the other voice hum in agreement.

“Very well sir, should I still have a team in place should the opportunity to remove Namikaze present itself?” The first voice asked and the leader hummed a moment.

“No, too risky that we tip our hand early and the Namikaze finds something more substantial about us, but should that fool return here after failing in his attempt to kill Namikaze, I want him removed and his assets repositioned to still serve us.” The leader spoke causing the other voice to give confirmation.

“Of course sir.” The voice stated before leaving while the leader was left by themselves.

“Alright brat, let’s see what you’re really made of.” The leader mused to themselves knowing that they’d have to watch Naruto’s actions and see just what kind of threat he truly was.

**Done!**

**Next time is Naruto saving Elle’s ass from the train incident**

**The bit about Hotch being abused by his mother was me drawing from different tidbits that they gave throughout the series. 1) He and his brother idolize their father and wanted to become attorneys like he was, so it’s highly unlikely that he was the abuser. 2) Hotch has hinted multiple times that he was abused when younger. 3) Hotch’s mother is never mentioned at all in the entire series. 4) The few times we see photos from Hotch’s early life, we see him with Hayley and other males but never another woman, so he may have just cut his mother from his life. 5) No other family besides his dad, grandpa, and brother are mentioned so unless Hotch has another brother or an uncle that lived with them that is never mentioned, his mother is the only other candidate to be the abuser.**

**Now I do know that Hotch mentioned that his brother lost their father at an early age (it was part of a profiling speech to make his brother not make a “mistake” as Hotch saw it), but Hotch is 10+ years older so I don’t see why he would idolize his father if he was the abuser unless there was a drastic change before the abuse could start on his brother. I’m not saying it was definitely his mother that abused him, but there is evidence to suggest/leave it open to be a high possibility.**

**Well, that should be it.**

**See y’all later!**


	6. Killer on a Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elle is taken hostage on a train by a psychotic and Naruto has to use his skills to get her and other passengers out of there alive

**Hey guys and welcome back.** **To address two things that came up: No, Kushina is not Naruto’s mother in this so you all can relax.**

**Second, I know the team isn’t really bonding to Naruto, but that’s not that surprising on account of who they are. My focus at the moment is to grow the relationship with Elle so by the end of the first season, I can at least have her interest in him move from plain interest to romantic interest without jumping quickly. Now, Naruto and the others will bond as we go, but Elle and he are going to bond the most for now and things will get better for each as certain events and such occur that allow them to bond further. One such moment is this chapter with Hotch, and I’m sure you guys can guess what the discussion will start with.**

**Now, I don’t think I have anything else to address from the reviews so let’s get this show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item or anything else I add in just to give more context or background for Naruto.**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 6: Killer on a Train**

**Season 1, Episode 9: Derailed**

**Episode Quotes: Albert Einstein once asked, “A question that drives me hazy: Am I or the others crazy?”**

**“A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses; it is an idea that possesses the mind.”-Robert Oxton Bolt**

**BAU**

Naruto sat in Hotch’s office waiting as he did some paperwork and took a call over some bureaucratic items. Naruto knew why Hotch wanted to talk, no doubt Gideon mentioned that Naruto had profiled him and he wanted to have a talk about not bringing up his own personal matters in front of the team again.

He would find out if he guessed right when Hotch hung up and looked at him, “Thanks for taking the time to do this Naruto.” Hotch stated trying to be polite and Naruto nodded.

“No problem, I assume this has to do with my interrogation with Vincent Perotta?” Naruto asked and Hotch nodded.

“Yes. Naruto, I understand that you are a natural profiler and can see things that others might miss, but I would appreciate it if in the future you didn’t use those skills on me or anyone on the team.” Hotch stated and Naruto rose an eyebrow.

“You make it sound as if I willingly did so. You of all people know that it’s not something that we can just switch on and off, it’s something we just notice and see and decide to ignore it or not. I can’t stop doing it any more than you can whenever you see how different people act, speak, move, or stand. It’s just a natural problem that comes with the job and to cut it off means to lose all the training and experience you’ve accumulated. I’m sorry Hotch, but I’m always going to be able to read you and the team, I’m always going to be able to see the things you want to keep buried, and I’m always going to know you better than the rest of the team or maybe even your wife does.” Naruto stated making Hotch frown but he nodded nonetheless, “Now, if you’re upset that I told Perotta about it, then I can understand your frustration since Reid and Elle heard it and Gideon had to have known it already since he knows you too well. I merely brought it up because Perotta had to know that there were other paths he could have taken since not everyone who had a… unpleasant childhood with a parent had to become a killer. I apologize if revealing that made you feel vulnerable and open to those who you don’t want to share personal life details with if you don’t have to, but it was a necessary item to reveal at the time.” Naruto stated as Hotch sighed since Naruto really could read them all like they were bold texted books.

“Just… don’t reveal things without permission again, unless the situation is completely unavoidable.” Hotch stated and Naruto nodded since it was fair. The two at in silence for a moment before Hotch spoke, “So, your mother huh?” Hotch asked and Naruto frowned and nodded.

“Something we can relate to each other I’m sure, though mine never got physical.” Naruto stated and Hotch nodded since he did notice his unintentional signs about not harboring positive feelings towards his mother since he never mentioned her or had any pictures of her.

“Bad?” Hotch asked looking back at Naruto, who shrugged.

“Bad enough I won’t refer to her as my mother ever again.” Naruto stated making Hotch nod.

“Well if you ever need someone to talk to.” Hotch offered and Naruto just gave him a look, “I know, hypocritical, but the offer still stands.” Hotch stated making Naruto nod.

“Well same to you since I can relate and understand better than others. Just like I can relate to Morgan on something, but I won’t say what since you just said no revealing things without permission. Plus, I’m not limited by Bureau policy to make a note of anything that is a ‘concern’ as they like to call it and I sure as fuck am not going to judge you on anything.” Naruto stated seriously at the end and Hotch nodded.

The two then turned as JJ walked in, “Hey.” JJ greeted as the two nodded towards her.

“Hey/Hello.” The two stated as JJ came up to the desk.

“Where’s Elle at?” JJ asked in confusion having been looking for her.

“Texas.” Naruto answered making JJ frown.

“Texas?” JJ asked in confusion as Elle had no family in Texas that she was aware of.

“Yes. She went to do a custodial interview with William Devries.” Hotch stated as he looked over a piece of paperwork.

“The child murderer?” JJ asked incredulously.

“Yeah, guy decided to participate in the VICAP questionnaire.” Naruto supplied as Hotch was a bit distracted.

“You’re having her do custodials by herself already?” JJ questioned with some incredulity in her voice.

“She’ll be fine, Naruto prepped her and she has to do one on her own eventually.” Hotch stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, plus the guy’s targets are kids so Elle won’t be his type, which means less chance that she’s going to have to smackdown his ass if he acts up.” Naruto stated since if the guy was a rapist or some other type to target women then he may have objected to Elle doing the interview, but he wasn’t so she should be fine.

JJ sighed and nodded before walking off and Naruto looked to Hotch, “Still, may have been a good idea to send someone with her to at least take notes for her to improve on next time.” Naruto stated and Hotch nodded.

“True, but I had no one to spare and the local office wouldn’t have had anyone that knows what to look for.” Hotch stated making Naruto nod before he went out and just sat in the bullpen.

However, before he could settle in fully, his cell rang, “Hey Elle, what’s up? You done talking to Devries already?” Naruto asked and Elle snorted on the line.

“No, I’m not even going to be there for another hour. I decided to take a train to Dallas instead of a car. I wanted to look over the files some more.” Elle stated and Naruto hummed.

“Well, remember what Gideon says, ‘He can’t lie to you if-‘” Naruto started before Elle cut in.

“If I know the crime better than he does. Yes I know.” Elle stated since Gideon still kept drilling the basics into her.

“Relax, it will be fine, but be careful since those trains go through dead zones and you may lose cell service quickly.” Naruto warned before he started hearing bursts of static, “Well, speak of the devil.”

“Yeah, I’m los… ou.” Elle stated as the line was breaking.

“Call when you get service again.” Naruto stated getting a somewhat confirmation on the other end before the call dropped and he sighed and sat back, “Why do I have a bad feeling about today?” Naruto asked himself as he sat back in a chair trying to relax.

However, his gut was saying this was going to be a shit show of a day… and his gut was never wrong.

**_Later: Conference Room_ **

Naruto came in as JJ and the others were talking “What happened?” Naruto asked as everyone turned to him.

“Hostage situation in west Texas. Psychotic jumped a security guard took his gun and shot him before taking the train car hostage. Five total hostages and he’s got two guns.” JJ stated and Naruto froze.

“We got camera footage?” Naruto asked and JJ nodded pointing at the screen, “Move.” Naruto stated going to the screen as Reid was moved out of the way.

“What is it?” Gideon asked wondering why Naruto was jumpy.

Naruto was silent before he paused, “Oh god.” Narutos stated making them frown.

“What?” Morgan asked as Naruto tightened his fist.

“Elle’s on that train.” Naruto stated making them all freeze as he pointed to a still image of Elle, who now sported a large gash across her face.

“Elle?” Hotch asked and then cursed as he saw the picture.

“We gotta-“ Morgan started before Naruto interrupted.

“Shut up.” Naruto stated as he scanned the image before rewinding and playing it.

“But we-“ Morgan started before Naruto turned and glared at him, making him stop as he felt a cold chill go down his spine.

“ _Shut…UP.”_ Naruto stated seriously before he looked over the footage, “Alright, let’s see.” Naruto mumbled as he looked over the footage letting his demon take full control, “Ok, paranoid psychotic with paranoid delusions, possibly also schizophrenic, obviously not on his meds or not a high enough dose based on the fact he’s got Tardive Dyskinesia and that comes when you start weaning off the meds. So he’s armed, paranoid, and ready to take out any threats, so that leaves the question of who the other players are.” Naruto stated not really talking to anyone as he looked over the footage, “Elle’s calm and collected and will try to keep any outliers calm and out of his way while defusing the situation if possible. Older woman, dressed nicely, looking at the unsub with recognition and a bit of worry for him, means she’s either his doctor, girlfriend, or his wife. She’ll know how to handle him and keep things from escalating too far so long as he isn’t having a full blown psychotic break.” Naruto analyzed as he kept looking over the people, “Black guy’s nervous, twitchy, sweating, and keeps licking his lips, plus his eyes are sporadic, which means he’s drunk or craving a drink. Most likely the latter given how he keeps eyeballing the floor by his feet where he no doubt dropped a bottle of booze. If he’s a rebel then he’s just going to antagonize the unsub since it will be perceived as mocking him, so one volatile person is in there.” Naruto stated still more to himself as he kept watching the footage.

The team was just quiet letting Naruto do his thing, “Older gentleman, nervous, sweating, can’t really breathe, keeps looking at his briefcase. Either he’s armed or he’s got something in that briefcase he thinks will help him out and he’s not looking to play nice wherever he was going.” Naruto stated as he looked to the last person and clicked his tongue, “Shit, on top of that, we have a pregnant woman on board.” Naruto stated with a sigh knowing this got harder and so did the team, “Not showing obvious signs yet besides a slight bump, so she’s still early, but the stress and no doubt increasing temperature are going to take their toll and maybe make her act up in either defense of her baby or because the stress is going to get to her.” Naruto continued still watching the footage as his eyes caught the unsub looking at an empty seat and having recognition in his eyes, “Ok, so he is already having delusions, he keeps looking to an empty seat as if someone was there that he recognizes.” Naruto commented making the team frown.

Naruto then rewound the footage back to before the incident, “Alright, he’s calm, relaxed, just sitting there dozing. Black guy takes a swig of a drink, most likely a liquor of some kind; older gentleman keeps sweating like he’s nervous and checking to see if he still has an item in his briefcase; and pregnant woman is hugging her stomach tight and biting her lips like she’s both protective of herself and the child but also conflicting with herself, so she’s most likely going to Dallas to get an abortion and is questioning it.” Naruto stated watching and noticed the unsub twitch awake like someone spoke to him, “His delusion starts there. He speaks to no one, ‘Leave me alone’ and then looks at Elle, who just raised her file up higher, which means he can probably clearly make out that it says FBI on it. He’s still trying to fight it evidenced by him looking to the older woman for support and comfort, but that can only work so long and then the train stops abruptly adding to his paranoia.” Naruto stated watching intently as things progressed, “Security comes in trying to calm everyone, notices Elle’s file and the two start to talk most likely in hushed tones which just fuels the paranoia even further. Guard moves up, unsub looks at the gun right in front of him and snaps. He then rushes at Elle and pistol whips her before taking her gun and then we set the clock.” Naruto stated watching the entire thing take place, “Shit is going to be a LONG day.” Naruto stated with a sigh.

“Wheels up ASAP, grab and go.” Hotch stated making the team disperse as they quickly went and grabbed their ready bags and took off.

**_West Texas, near Dallas_ **

Naruto was driving as the team headed for the train’s location, “Local authorities have the train surrounded. Bureau Hostage Rescue Team snipers are in position, but they are hesitant to take action until negotiation is exhausted. The feed from the train’s 2 video cameras are being routed to monitors in a mobile command center that the local bureau office brought in.” JJ supplied as she got updates while they approached.

“We need to know who is on that train that can be a help to us and who’s going to be a problem. Naruto’s analysis shows how they are, but not who they were before the incident so there could be a wildcard in there and I want to know about it.” Hotch stated as Naruto drove down the streets quickly but not recklessly.

“I’ll get Garcia on it.” Morgan stated from the second row of the car as he got his phone out, “I’m hoping she can work her magic on the video feeds to get clear images. If we can get the unsub’s name then we can maybe get a full medical history that way we don’t have to worry about any extra surprises by trying to deal with him one way and another thing entirely pops up on us.” Morgan stated since him being a psychotic left a lot of things open on him and left them vulnerable to others if they weren’t careful.

[How do you say], “Hottie?” Garcia answered.

“Garcia?” Morgan asked questioningly.

“You got it.” Garcia replied with a grin.

“Ok, listen to me. No time for playing. We’re gonna be feeding you some security camera video from a hostage situation on a secure line. We need you to work your face recognition software over it and tell us who is who.” Morgan stated and Garcia got a bit serious.

“If they have a picture on file somewhere, then yes I can find them.” Garcia stated before turning to work.

“Penelope, Elle is one of the hostages.” Morgan stated and Garcia lost all playfulness and grew serious.

“I’m on it.” Garcia stated before hanging up.

Morgan closed his phone, “She’ll get us the names.” Morgan stated making them nod.

“Any contact in the train yet?” Gideon asked and JJ shook her head.

“No. It took them two hours just to convince him to allow a two-way phone, but he won’t speak to anyone, except for what he calls the higher authorities.” JJ asked making the team frown while Naruto was focused on driving.

“God?” Hotch asked and Naruto shook his head.

“No, he was too focused on Elle and her file, my guess he’s one of those “government is monitoring me and is gonna put me down if I’m not vigilant” types. May even think he’s been drugged or microchipped for years.” Naruto stated making them frown.

“There’s been no mention of anything even close to religious thus far.” JJ supplied hoping it would help.

“Has crisis negotiation’s lead claimed to be the higher authority?” Morgan asked since that could help things along.

“The unsub won’t speak to him anymore. He gave a deadline of three hours to produce the authority.” JJ stated and the others frowned.

“When was this deadline given?” Hotch asked and JJ checked her watch.

“Um, two and a half hours ago.” JJ stated with a bit reluctance.

“Well, if he wants to speak to a higher authority, then we had better give him one, which means he gets the full package.” Naruto stated as he flicked the lights and sirens on and started honking his horn to make people get out of the way.

“Get us as close to the barricade as possible. When we stop, we sit. Wait 30 seconds. Then we step out.” Gideon stated knowing it would make the guy antsy and believe they had a much bigger authority than they did.

Pulling up to the scene, Naruto got within spitting distance of the train before they sat there and waited like Gideon stated, “Whatever you do, don’t look at the train, don’t even acknowledge it. A higher authority isn’t going to care about a few civilian casualties or even one agent.” Naruto stated as the others all nodded before they got out. However, Naruto waited another five seconds before getting out and stood there looking at his watch making it seem like he didn’t think this place was worth his time and attention.

Walking over to Gideon, he found him and the others, minus Hotch, talking to an agent, “I’m Frank Moretti, Dallas Field Office.” Moretti stated shaking hands, “Near as we can tell, your agent is still all right.” Moretti stated looking at the train while the others kept ignoring it.

“Has he asked for anything? Made any demands?” Reid asked and Moretti shook his head.

“Not beyond wanting his higher authority to come and speak to him. But I gotta ask, how do we negotiate with a psychotic who won’t talk to us?” Moretti asked and Naruto hummed.

“It depends on how deep a level his particular delusion has gone. It could be as simple as he thinks he’s being sent messages by the government, God, aliens, the Earth itself, even his future self. And it could be even more complicated.” Naruto stated since it was a pain in the ass.

“John Nash, he believed he was being recruited by aliens to save the world.” Reid supplied making Moretti nod.

“Saw the movie.” Moretti stated and Reid made a face but Naruto cut him off.

“Doc, a movie review really isn’t going to help right now.” Naruto stated making Reid nod since he could have gone off on a tangent.

As they moved to the mobile command center, Naruto stopped and turned to look at the train right where the unsub was. He then smirked and tapped his temple with his index and middle fingers before turning and walking out of view. He knew that it would send a message to the unsub that someone knew what was going on and only someone of high access could do such a thing.

“Well his delusions are important, they’re what we have to play this to.” Gideon stated making them nod.

“Which leads to the biggest question of the day.” Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“What exactly does he think is happening here?” Naruto finished as he came up to the others.

“Pfft, good luck. I tried to convince him I was the highest authority, but he wouldn’t believe me.” Moretti stated and the others nodded.

“Of course not, he’s paranoid. He believes in secrets. If we’re the higher authority, then we don’t go to him. He has to come to us. Thus, we have to help him to ask the first question rather than asking it ourselves.” Naruto stated, “If one of us calls, we could act as a lower level person speaking for the higher authority until said person has decided that he’s worth their attention.” Naruto stated making them nod before Reid interrupted.

“Hey guys.” Reid warned as they saw him walk up and grab the pregnant woman.

Naruto leaned in watching closely as the unsub pointed his gun at Elle, “You think I’m going to let you send them secret messages?” Naruto stated as he read their lips and the unsub dragged the woman to the phone, “Don’t say a single word unless I say it. Deviate a single word and I will kill you. Don’t try to send them any secret messages or codes. Do you understand? Codes? Do you understand?! Yes, yes. All right, all right.” Naruto kept translating as the woman took the phone.

The phone in the center then started to ring and Gideon walked over to it, “We’re going with Naruto’s way right now.” Gideon stated making them nod, “Yes?” Gideon asked with the woman crying on the phone being heard.

“Ask them who they work with, and who just arrived.” They heard the unsub say due to the receptors in the phone.

“H-he wants to know who you are. He wants to know who just arrived.” The woman stated trying to speak clearly.

“Tell him it’s someone very interested in his problem and would like to help resolve this situation quickly.” Gideon stated as Naruto took a piece of paper and pen in case he needed to make a note.

“He says it’s someone who can resolve the situation.” She stated before he leaned into her ear, “W-what part of the government do you work for?” She stated and Gideon looked at Naruto, who shook his head.

“Who said I was with the government?” Gideon stated before Morgan clicked the phone on silent and looked at Moretti.

“Less we tell him outright the more mysterious we are and the more he thinks we are higher up on the food chain.” Morgan stated making Moretti nod.

“Ask them who they work for? No, no, ask them if they are NSA. No.. ask, ask. Agh!” The unsub stated getting more irritated by the moment. He then gazed at Elle and then looked back at the pregnant woman, “They’re FBI aren’t they?”

“Are you FBI?” The woman asked still shaky.

“The Higher Authority states that if he wants to know, then he’s got to ask me himself or I can just hang up and we will leave.” Gideon stated making Naruto nod while Moretti and the others looked a bit unsure.

“H-he says the Higher Authority says you can ask yourself if you want to know or they can just hang up and leave.” She stated while crying causing the unsub to growl before hitting the seat and took the phone from her.

“Tell me who you are or I will kill this agent.” The unsub stated and Gideon was silent for a long moment.

“You already know who we are.” Gideon stated and the unsub looked out the window.

“If you’re the higher authority, then you can have it removed.” The unsub stated and Gideon stayed quite another long moment.

“That’s doable, but it’s not that quick a fix, it takes some time.” Gideon stated as Naruto began writing.

“I want it out now!” The unsub stated as Gideon started reading Naruto’s writing.

“You’re well aware it’s not that simple, otherwise you would have succeeded in doing that already.” Gideon stated as Naruto wrote for him, “Goodbye.”

“NO! Wait. Ok! All right. One hour. You have one hour to remove it or I swear to God, I will kill every agent you have on this train.” The unsub stated getting ready to hang up but Gideon spoke again.

“An hour is doable, but the higher authority for whom I speak for will ensure the process is expedited if you will let one agent go.” Gideon stated making the unsub freeze.

“Why should I believe you?” The unsub asked as he cocked the gun.

“Because the Higher Authority wants to verify that you aren’t suffering from any of the major side effects that come from having the implant. Doing this will show him that you aren’t and he will help expedite the process and ensure there are no complications from having it inside you for so long.” Gideon stated and the unsub was quiet as he looked out towards the command center.

“IF I do this, I don’t want to speak to a middle man again or I will kill an agent.” The unsub stated and Gideon nodded.

“The Higher Authority has been listening to this and relaying his responses to me, if you show that you aren’t under the severe side effects then he will personally speak to you the next time and ensure the implant is removed.” Gideon stated and the unsub was quiet a long moment.

“Fine, I’ll assume you have a preference.” He stated looking at the other hostages.

“Not particularly, though your doctor isn’t one of ours so she’s of no use or value to us if you send her, but she’s a detriment to you since we can interrogate her and find out just how much you really know. The agent you have sitting next to you is a rookie so she’s of little value to you or us, which means you don’t lose or gain anything and neither do we.” Gideon stated and the unsub frowned before pointing the gun at the woman beside him.

“Get out.” The unsub stated as the woman stammered, “I SAID GET OUT!” He shouted as the woman scrambled and got out of the train while he pointed the gun at the others to ensure they didn’t try anything, “You better not be lying or I swear you will regret it and every agent here will die.” The unsub stated before hanging up as cops grabbed the woman and got her away from the train.

“Alright, we got one hostage safe and an hour to fully figure out what IT is entirely.” Gideon stated making them nod.

“It’s most likely a microchip, it’s the most common thing besides being the messiah or being probed by aliens. There’s also the fact calling it an implant didn’t trigger or confuse him, he only continued the conversation like he expected implant to be brought up.” Naruto stated making them nod as they now needed a way to either confirm it or find a more plausible answer.

Minutes later had them watching the feeds when the older woman got the unsub to show his arm to a camera, “His arm.” Gideon stated drawing attentions.

“What is it?” Hotch asked coming closer with the others.

“He’s got scars, most likely from where he tried to dig out the chip with a pen, razor, or even shard of glass.” Naruto stated and Reid nodded.

“Ralph Tortorici held an entire classroom hostage because he believed microchips had been implanted throughout his body.” Reid informed like usual.

“So this guy thinks that some kind of device is in his arm?” Morgan asked seeing this as a big problem since how were they supposed to fake remove something when he had line of sight.

“Most likely, and if we don’t take it out, he’s going to start killing people.” Gideon stated before Morgan’s phone rang and answered to Garcia being on the line.

“Got your names.” Garcia stated as she typed real quick as Morgan got a pad of paper and pen, “Skinny guy in the suit, Harry Anderson. The young guy is a former Gillett University Undergrad. The girl is Elain Curtis from, get this, Abode Walls in Tirlingua, Texas. The lady in the nice suit is Linda Deaton, author and renowned psychiatrist.” Garcia informed as she loaded everything up to send to them to look over themselves.

“Penelope, you are truly amazing.” Morgan stated and Garcia smirked.

“Oh, not done yet sugar, got your bonus answer too. Your guy is famous in the academic world, his name is Bryar, Dr. Theodore Bryar.” Garcia stated making Morgan nod.

“Al right, send it all to me right now and keep digging.” Morgan stated and Garcia smirked.

“Oh honey, I already sent it before I told you your guy’s name.” Garcia stated making Morgan snort in amusement.

“Of course you did, nice work.” Morgan stated as he got on the computer and pulled up the info from Garcia, “Garcia’s got us names on everyone including the unsub, a Ted Bryar.” Morgan stated and the others came over.

“What do you got each of them?” Gideon asked as Morgan typed and Gideon sat beside him.

“Ok. First off we’ve got Harry Anderson. He’s a paper goods salesman. Lived in a small home just outside of Dallas for 18 years with his wife. He’s got no kids, no investments, no company retirement portfolio.” Morgan stated making Naruto nod.

“So besides whatever he’s got in the briefcase, he doesn’t take any chances.” Naruto stated knowing he was acting too nervous and twitchy to just be returning from a business trip.

“What about the kid?” Gideon asked and Morgan sighed.

“Kid’s name is…Josh Patel. He’s 20 years old. He just got expelled from Gillett University for driving his car into the library building while drunk.” Morgan stated and Gideon sighed.

“He’s drinking now, and we don’t need a drunk in there.” Gideon stated and Morgan nodded.

“Thanks to you and Naruto, we got the girl safe so she’s not relevant to the current situation right now. This though is Dr. Linda Deaton. She’s a psychiatrist at Stokes Mental Health Center in El Paso. That’s where Ted Bryar’s been living for the last 9 years.” Morgan informed and Naruto leaned in a bit.

“Which means she’s most likely his doctor like I thought.” Naruto stated and Morgan nodded.

“That’d be my guess. She’s not married, lives in El Paso. Uh, she’s written several books and papers, mainly published in medical circles and occasionally behavioral sciences. She’s a popular lecturer and scheduled to speak at several symposiums this year, including a conference in Dallas tonight.” Morgan read off before looking over it all again, “That’s it, that’s all I have until Garcia digs some more, but I don’t really know how this is gonna help us in this situation.” Morgan stated and Gideon nodded.

“Well, we just gotta hope no one decides to do anything stupid or antagonizing to the unsub.” Naruto stated knowing that he may have to personally step in if this didn’t get a little better soon.

“So how do we remove a microchip that’s not there?” Hotch asked and Naruto snorted as Reid started speaking.

“His speech is lucid. No sign of neologisms, word salad, or loosening of associations. As long as he can systemize, he’ll be able to keep his thinking relatively organized.” Reid stated and Naruto shook his head.

“Basically, he’s not so far gone down the rabbit hole that he can’t see through any tricks and maneuvers we try to pull on him. However, I can play into his delusion enough that I could make him off balance and easier to subdue if I get on board.” Naruto stated making them look at him.

“You sure that’s wise? He could kill you or someone else if he smells a set up.” Hotch asked and Naruto shrugged.

“I’m playing the Higher Authority, so if I offer to come on board and oversee the removal of the chip or even remove it myself then he will be too focused on me to really pay attention to anything else.” Naruto stated making them frown since that was a big risk.

“If he believes it’s in his arm, he won’t believe it’s not somewhere else, which means he’ll be able to see the incision and he’ll watch unless there’s a big enough distraction.” Gideon stated knowing where Naruto was going with this.

“But how do we do this though?” Morgan asked and Naruto held up a folded piece of paper before flicking his wrist and it was gone. He then flicked his fingers and the paper was between his index and middle finger.

“Sleight of hand and misdirection is easy to do when you’ve got time and practice. There’s also the fact I can add to the delusion that there could be more than implant in him and make him dependent on me to tell him if that is indeed true.” Naruto stated before holding up a cell phone SD card and then flicked his fingers and it was gone before he blew on his fingers and it was back between them in plain sight, “Cover my hand in blood and him wincing away from me digging and I can make this look like I yanked it right out his muscle. Though I need something that doesn’t scream fake, like one of the microchips in the walkies.” Naruto stated since an SD card was too identifiable to use.

“You do magic?” Reid asked Naruto shrugged.

“You really want to hedge your bet on a magic trick?” Morgan asked and Naruto merely looked at him.

“Would you rather send genius over here in to do it? At least I can deal with him if I’m that close and we don’t risk another agent.” Naruto stated making them frown, “What other choice do we really have?” Naruto asked and Gideon sighed.

“None.” Gideon stated making the other sigh as JJ came in.

“Doctor Bryar is definitely one of the top physicists in the world. He’s written hundreds of papers on M-Theory. Uh, don’t ask me what it is as I don’t understand any of it. He did work for the government for several years in the ‘80s.” JJ stated and they all nodded.

“Which is probably where his delusions stemmed from.” Naruto stated making the others nod before JJ continued.

“He’s been institutionalized for the past 9 years and hasn’t been outside of his institution at all.” JJ stated and Gideon frowned.

“Until Doctor Deaton took him on a field trip.” Gideon stated as they turned back to the monitors.

However, they saw Bryar becoming agitated and pointing the gun at Deaton, so Naruto moved over and called the phone drawing his attention away, “Who is this?” Bryar answered since he was done talking to middle men.

“I’m the guy that’s going to save you before you go and get your head blown off.” Naruto stated standing at the phone.

“Prove it.” Bryar demanded and Naruto snorted.

“Dr. Bryar, please don’t waste my time or my patience. The lives of two agents, a civilian, and your doctor mean little to me in the long run especially when one agent couldn’t even do a simple observation mission without getting spotted immediately.” Naruto stated making Bryar pause, “Now if you’re done wasting my time we can get down to business. I need you to confirm for me the dates you were on base to verify the implant that will be removed.” Naruto stated making the team look at him.

“Why do you need to know that?” Bryar asked and Naruto hummed.

“Well clearly you aren’t as knowledgeable as you thought. You see during the early stages of the experiment, we had two implants put into a subject and there are fail safes in place to ensure no enemy agents could remove the implants and experiment with them. However, later on we did one implant with a more secure measure. I need to know which you fall under or you could die from having the implant removed or my tech could cut you in the wrong area and waste time. I have more important things to do than this, so I do not want my time wasted.” Naruto stated and Bryar frowned as he twitched a bit more.

“All of 1985, January 1st to July 29th of 1986, and August 1st 1987 to May 1988.” Bryar stated and Naruto hummed on the other end.

“Ah, good, you only have one implant and it will be removed. However, I need to know if perhaps the implant is malfunctioning and causing any other problems including memory loss or confusion. Can you verify for me your entire name and birthday?” Naruto stated since he was buying a bit more time and building up his credibility.

“You first, what base was I on?” Bryar asked and Naruto was silent.

“Marine Corps Base Quantico, now will you please answer my question so we can move on?” Naruto stated and Bryar nodded.

“Theodore Macintosh Bryar, 7-22-60.” Bryar stated and Naruto nodded.

“Good, no basic memory problems. Have you had hallucinations? Voices in your head? People that for some reason only you can see?” Naruto asked as Bryar froze.

“H-how do you know that?” Bryar asked and Naruto hummed.

“If you are experiencing those, then the implant could be malfunctioning, but we’ll have it out soon enough. I’ll send my tech in in about 15 minutes.” Naruto stated before Bryar spoke.

“No! You come in and you remove it. I want no tricks and no games! If you don’t take it out then you and your agents die. You know so much about it, don’t you dare try to claim you can’t remove it yourself.” Bryar stated and Naruto was quiet.

“Fine, but if you make a demand of me again, I will have my men shoot you in the chest in just the right place that you will go down and be detained before you can get up and then I will ensure you never have the implant removed. If you try to shoot anyone during the next few minutes, I will signal my men to put a bullet through your eye socket faster than you can blink. You really have no business making demands when I am going out of my way to help you rather than simply putting you in a body bag.” Naruto stated before he hung up and Bryar took some deep breaths before putting the phone down.

“That was bit risky don’t you think?” Morgan asked and Naruto shook his head.

“No, a person with the kind of authority he thinks I have wouldn’t have said or done anything less, it would have made them look weak.” Naruto stated as he turned and drank a glass of water.

“Well, come on, we gotta get you suited up.” Morgan stated and Naruto shook his head.

“Won’t work, he’ll demand I take the vest off the minute I get inside the train and will be ready to shoot one of the hostages if I refuse. While he won’t be able to demand anything big as he’s too scared of me now, I’m going in no vest to show him I have no fear of him.” Naruto stated making Morgan pause.

“You sure about that? What’s to stop him from just shooting you and deciding that killing the Higher Authority is worth the price?” Morgan asked and Naruto snorted.

“Because then he doesn’t get what he really wants, the implant taken out and his suffering brought to an end.” Naruto stated and Morgan sighed.

“Alright, but you at least know the negotiator playbook right? SWAT won’t always notify when they are entering-“ Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, because it could change my speech patterns, tone, or mannerisms and alert the hostage taker.” Naruto stated making Morgan nod, “I also know to not make eye contact with Elle since she’s a low level grunt while I’m a boss, so there’s no reason for me to directly know her or her face. And since I am in this guy’s head already, I can fully play along and indulge him in his fantasy or warped reality, whichever you want to call it.” Naruto stated as Hotch came in with a microchip.

Coming outside the command center, Naruto put latex gloves on and was given a basic medical bag while leaving his guns and knife on the table. He then palmed the chip and flicked it to between his index finger and thumb like he was grabbing it and then seamlessly made it look like he was pulling it out with some tweezers, “Alright, but no matter what you can’t stay in there with him.” Gideon stated and Naruto snorted.

“You say that, but he’s not going to play ball like that most likely. I’ll probably be able to talk him into trading me for one of them, but he’s not going to just let me walk out when he still wants answers.” Naruto stated making them frown, “Relax, Elle and I will be back before you know it, so stop looking like your watching me walk off to my own funeral.” Naruto stated before he grabbed the supplies and walked towards the train.

Bryar, upon seeing him, grabbed Deaton and held her at gun point as Naruto climbed on the train. Opening the sliding door, he saw Deaton there held by Bryar, “That’s far enough!” Bryar shouted and Naruto stopped and stood there before tapping his foot, “Turn slowly.” Bryar stated and Naruto turned and showed he had no gun or weapons of any kind on him.

“Are you satisfied now? Because this is really starting to annoy me.” Naruto stated in an uncaring tone as Bryar pointed the gun at him, “You really want to test my patience don’t you? Get your pain in the ass doctor out of the way so I can get to work.” Naruto stated not at all bothered by the gun pointed at him.

“Sit across from me.” Bryar stated as he took a seat while holding Deaton still.

“What did I say about making demands?” Naruto asked and Bryar grunted.

“Will you please just sit across from me.” Bryar shouted and Naruto merely blinked at him.

“Better, but don’t raise your voice at me again or I am walking out of here without taking the implant out.” Naruto stated as he walked forward and sat across from Bryar, while said man tossed Deaton to the floor beside him and held the gun on her.

Naruto opened his bag of supplies and removed some alcohol pads and wiped his arm down, “You don’t look that nervous.” Bryar stated and Naruto snorted.

“Please, I’ve been around trained killers with guns for years, a physicist with a gun doesn’t exactly make my top 10 most dangerous situations.” Naruto stated as he wiped his arm clean, “Once I start the incision, it will be important that you don’t move or tense up too much, one slight jostle could make me cut your artery or I could damage the implant and then we’ll be here for hours as I try to fish out the pieces.” Naruto stated as he tossed the pad away and took out the scalpel, “I assume you’re prepared for the pain, correct?” Naruto asked and Bryar nodded while biting his lower lip. “I’m impressed with your attempts to remove it, you were actually close to where it was.” Naruto stated as he cut a thin line between a few of Bryar’s scars as he grunted in discomfort.

“Why is it so big?” Bryar asked through the pain and Naruto merely glanced at him.

“It has to be big enough that I can get my fingers in to spread the tissue and then grab the implant with these tweezers. Unless of course, you’d prefer I try and mash my fingers into your arm and pull the implant out that way? Though then I risk tearing your muscle and skin apart and you might lose function in that arm till you get to a hospital.” Naruto stated as he paused in his cutting and Bryar shook his head, “I thought not.” Naruto stated as he finished the cut.

“Why did he cut that big?” Morgan asked and Hotch answered.

“Because without some proper sutures, the blood flow could be increased because of the heat so the bandages will soak through before long especially with him sweating so bad. Meaning that if he chooses to prolong this, he could pass out from blood loss or dehydration.” Hotch stated since an incision that big so close to the arteries and veins wasn’t ideal for the one getting the incision.

“So he’s making backup plan in case he can’t subdue or calm Bryar down quickly.” Morgan stated making the others nod.

“Alright, this is the painful part and I suggest you bite down on your shirt.” Naruto stated as he took the tweezers in his left right hand and spread the incision with his right hand going into his arm and nearing the muscle. Bryar groaned and bit down on his shirt as Naruto dug in his arm, “Damn cheap doctors, they were told to implant it between the layers of skin, deep enough that it wouldn’t be visible but not so deep you had to go excavating for it. I’ll have those assholes licenses for this and ensure demotions go around for his amateur hour work.” Naruto mumbled to himself adding to his character and buying a little extra time to dig and fully implement his plan B, “Ah, there you are.” Naruto stated as he moved the tweezers into position, “Doctor Deaton, could you hold Doctor Bryar’s arm steady? It seems the implant sank into his muscle a bit and it is going to hurt a great deal when I dig it out as there is some scar tissue holding onto it.” Naruto asked and Deaton nodded and held Bryar’s hand and arm steady.

“It’s alright Teddy, you’ve almost got it out.” Deaton assured Bryar as he was too busy biting down on his shirt and holding his eyes closed as it was killing him to have Naruto digging in him.

Naruto then put the tweezers in and began wiggling and moving them causing Bryar to grunt and shake, “Easy Doctor Bryar, I’ve almost got it, then it’s just some bandage and stitch work.” Naruto stated as he got the tweezers down into his arm and flicked the chip into the wound before grabbing it with the tweezers. A little wiggling and moving got the chip adequately covered in blood before he pulled it out, “And there we are.” Naruto stated holding the chip up and Bryar exhaled excitedly.

“I knew it. I knew it.” Bryar stated with a smile.

“Dude, you see that? The guy actually had a chip in his arm.” Patel stated in shock.

Naruto then set the tweezers down and began a suture job to close up Bryar’s arm, doing just enough of a good job that wouldn’t be noticeable that it wasn’t properly sown shut. Afterwards, he did a simply gauze and medical tape wrap up of his arm, “Well, that concludes our business.” Naruto stated as he stood before Bryar pointed his gun at him, “Take care what you do next Bryar, it may be the last thing you ever do.” Naruto stated glaring at him.

“Turn it on.” Bryar demanded and Naruto looked at him incredulously.

“Do I look like I have time for your games?” Naruto asked and Bryar frowned, “I never turned it off you fucking moron, it has to be in your skin to work or there’s no battery for it. Plus look.” Narutos stated as he held it up for Bryar to see a small piece was sticking out looking like it was broken, “This thing was busted a while ago, when I pulled it out the piece missing fell off meaning this thing was maybe a week away from dying entirely.” Naruto stated as Bryar frowned, “Now I’m done here.”

“No you’re not.” Bryar shouted and Naruto glared at him, “You’re not going anywhere unless I say so.” Bryar stated and Naruto sat down.

“Do you recall what I said about making demands or shouting at me again?” Naruto asked and Bryar scowled and stood up.

“I’m in charge now.” Bryar stated and Naruto merely raised an eyebrow.

“Is that you or Leo talking?” Naruto asked making Bryar freeze, “Let me ask you something, don’t you find it odd that Leo happened to know that there were threats on the train or that there was a chip in you?” Naruto asked and Bryar frowned, “We were only watching you because we thought an enemy agency hacked into the chips and wanted to ensure you weren’t used as a puppet. Leo is their creation, he’s not one of the voices that has been in your head since you were young, telling you about things and helping you understand different aspects of science and physics.” Naruto stated as Bryar pointed the gun at an empty seat before going back to Naruto, “I get it, I really do. The voices when you were younger helped you gain knowledge and make connections to things that people couldn’t comprehend, but you could. You could see things, understand things, notice things, and more and others just couldn’t keep up with you. For you it was science, for me it was people and behavior.”

“S-String Theory, the Theory of Everything.” Bryar stated switching between the empty seat and Naruto.

“And M-Theory is the unifying strand that ties everything together, the literal explanation for cause and effects and chaos theory. Your voices helped you create the ideas and formulas for that, but let me ask you, when has Leo ever helped you huh?” Naruto stated then asked as Bryar frowned and kept looking at the empty seat, “You had a career, a good life, you were showing the world the knowledge you gained from the voices, and were doing so well, then one day Leo showed up and you started losing sleep, you started fearing for your life, you started fighting a war against an enemy that seemed everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and the voices that had helped you were snuffed out one by one. Isn’t it a bit curious that Leo showed up just as those things happened?” Naruto asked and Bryar frowned as he turned to face the empty seat entirely.

“Y-you did this to me. You ruined everything!” Bryar shouted as he aimed the gun at the seat.

“Leo isn’t a friend, Doctor Bryar, he’s an enemy that’s been slowly destroying your real friends and your allies because he wants to discredit you, use you, and break you into what he wants. The question is, are you going to let him get away with it?” Naruto asked and Bryar shouted before he drew the other pistol shot the empty seat repeatedly causing the civilians to cover their ears from the noise.

Bryar kept firing until the guns clicked on empty and he panted from the exertion as he stared at the seat and Naruto stood before putting a hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright, Ted. It’s ok, he’s dead and can’t hurt or lie to you anymore.” Naruto stated as Bryar sank to his knees and dropped the guns while Doctor Deaton hugged him and he cried softly into her while muttering _‘I’m sorry’_ over and over again while Deaton shushed him and just let him get it out.

Naruto sighed as he exhaled before he got the key from the security guard’s body and unlocked Elle’s wrist, only for her to quickly grab him in a hug making him pause a moment before he returned it. The two then walked out of the train as the cops and feds came in and Deaton kept Bryar calm as he was handcuffed as it was just a precaution and she’d be with him every step of the way.

Naruto and Elle moves over to the barricade and sat down on the back of a car, “You know you’re going to have to get checked out right?” Naruto asked and Elle chuckled as she pushed him lightly, “Hey, protocol is protocol.” Naruto stated with a smile as he rubbed her back.

Gideon then came over causing Elle to look at him, “Will you tell him I don’t need to go to the hospital?” Elle asked and Gideon shrugged.

“Procedure is procedure.” Gideon stated making Elle hang and shake her head, “You all right?” Gideon asked and Elle laughed.

“Yes, I’m fine dad.” Elle stated teasing a bit and Gideon nodded before he began moving away.

“Oh Elle.” Gideon stated as he stopped gaining their attention, “Don’t ever call me dad again.” Gideon stated making her nod before he walked off.

“How do you think he’d feel about ‘mom’?” Elle asked and Naruto smirked.

“Let me know when you plan to do that, the reaction and fallout will be too good to miss and not commit to film.” Naruto stated making Elle laugh.

“Listen, Naruto, you probably saved my life in there.” Elle stated and Naruto just looked at her with amusement, “Ok! You totally saved my ass in there, jerk.” Elle stayed and Naruto nodded.

“And I’ve got it on film too.” Naruto stated with a grin before Elle leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Naruto turned to look at her and saw her with a smile and a bit of pink on her face, “Thanks, for being there and saving me.” Elle stated and Naruto smiled before kissing the top of her head.

“Always.” Naruto stated and Elle smiled before she looked down.

“Um, Naruto, I wanted to ask you something.” Elle stated and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

“If you want a date, then we’re gonna have to figure how to ditch the team and go some place.” Naruto stated only for her head to shoot up with some more pink to it before she punched his arm.

“That’s not what I meant, you ass.” Elle stated as Naruto laughed and Elle couldn’t help but smile.

“Relax, I was just teasing.” Naruto stated as he looked at her before leaning into her ear, “Or was I?” He stated quietly into her ear making her face heat up before she pushed him back with a half glare and he just smiled at her.

“It’s about what you said to Perotta, you said you trapped your former best friend in a hell so to speak, but you told me you killed him.” Elle stated and Naruto lost all playfulness and looked at the ground.

“Both are technically true. That day, my best friend did die, and I trapped the monster that replaced him. Believe me, even now both sides of me are in conflict over letting him stay alive that day, his family has some influence so I had to be careful afterward and they no doubt tried to help him or at least most of them did. His mother and elder brother were on my side, but his father and others despised me that there were attempts on me and Karin then I learned how to go off grid and kept them away from the girls. I ran into some people on their payroll and more often then not they joined my kill count. They’re going to be after me till either myself or they are dead.” Naruto stated with a sigh before he got up and patted her shoulder and walked off to see Bryar off.

The whole time, Elle was watching him go with a worried and concerned expression on her face.

Approaching the car, Naruto looked at Bryar as he was just looking at his hands, “Thank you.” Bryar stayed as Naruto nodded.

“No problem, I’m glad you’re finally free of your enemy.” Naruto stated as Bryar smiled at him before the car drove off to take him to the hospital and make sure his arm was fine.

“Hey Naruto.” Morgan called as Naruto turned to him and walked over, “Look man, I’m probably never going to be ok with you being around and I’m never going to be good with your methods at times, but you save Elle’s life and the lives of different people. I’m not saying we’ll be friends, but I’m willing to at least work with you.” Morgan stated before sticking his hand out and Naruto took it.

“I can live with that. Just know, if you ever need anyone to talk to about your childhood, I’m here and I can relate to at least part of it.” Naruto stated and Morgan froze, “I can read you guys easily, Morgan. I’m never going to bring it up with the team unless it’s vital to saving your life, but I’m still going to know even if you don’t want anyone else to know.” Naruto stated before patting his shoulder, “It’s not your fault, and it never will be your fault.” Naruto stated before he walked off towards Gideon and Hotch.

Morgan just stared at Naruto as he walked off not noticing the fist he was making as he tried to calm down from the memories. He wasn’t sure what to feel about Naruto reading him, he hadn’t told anyone not family or friends or even the BAU shrink that every member had to see every three months. Having someone know… it made it more real and that made it harder, but he’d get through it like he had done before and again.

Or at least, he hoped he would.

**_Elsewhere_ **

A red headed man with teal eyes marched angrily into his office and slammed the door. He had just come from another meeting with his allies and associates and they were still denying him support in taking action against that damn Namikaze brat! “Those damn cowards, Namikaze has been a thorn in our side for too long and he will pay for what he did to my son with or without their help. Who cares if he’s in FBI or Marshall custody!” The man with red hair nearly shouted as he sat in his work office grumbling about his cowardly colleagues and planning to take matters into his own hands soon once he had everything in place. He broke from his planning as the intercom on his desk beeped, “Yes?” He asked pressing the answer button.

“Excuse me sir, your 4 o’clock is here to see you.” His secretary answered and he hummed.

“Go ahead an send him in.” The man stated before his door opened a minute later and a man with brown hair and onyx eyes came in dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, “A pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Uchiha.” The man stated standing for and shaking the Uchiha’s hand.

“Please, the pleasure is mine and call me Fugaku.” The now named Fugaku Uchiha stated as he took a seat.

“When you made this appointment, you said it was to help me with a mutual interest. I have to say that is a bit vague.” The red head stated and Fugaku merely smiled.

“Well, I wanted to be to ensure your secretary wasn’t going to be nosy.” Fugaku stated making the red head raise an eyebrow, “You see, I wish to discuss matters of eliminating Naruto Namikaze.” Fugaku stated causing the red head to freeze and look at the man to see he was dead serious.

“I’m listening.” He stated finding the possibility of an ally willing to act against the Namikaze spawn immediately to be too enticing while Fugaku smiled knowing he found an ally to help him punish the arrogant brat who nearly killed his youngest.

Yes, this would be the start of a beneficial and powerful friendship, and the Namikaze wouldn’t stand a chance when the time came.

Outside the office, neither were aware of the secretary making a phone call, “Yes sir, Fugaku Uchiha just entered the office. Yes sir, I’ll keep you posted.” She stated before hanging up. She then smirked and just leaned back knowing the bug she had in her “boss’” office would make sure she had all the info she needed to pass along to her real boss.

**Done!**

**A lot of y’all thought it was Fugaku who was angry at the end of chapter 4, Well SURPRISE, It wasn’t!**

**Next time is “The Popular Kids” and maybe something extra.**

**Later guys!**


	7. Popularity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's not having the best day, but he's till got work to do after evidence of a Satanic Cult is around a mountain town in Virginia

**Hey guys, welcome back. I don’t think I have anything to address directly, so let’s get this show on the road.**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or Criminal minds nor do I own any characters from either item or anything else I add in just to give more context or background for Naruto.**

“Speech”

_“Thoughts”_

**“Radio or altered voice”**

**_“Book, Computer, Letter, Text Message”_ **

* see bottom for explanation

[Translation]

**Chapter 7: Popularity**

**Season 1, Episode 10: The Popular Kids**

**Episode Quotes: Sir Peter Ustinov said, “Unfortunately, a superabundance of dreams is paid for by a growing potential for nightmares.”**

**Playwright Eugene Ionescu said, “Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.”**

**_BAU_ **

Naruto grunted as he came into the BAU feeling stiff that morning as he was popping and stretching his joints. He also was rubbing his eyes to try and get some of the sleep and tiredness out of them. Looking around he saw the bullpen being busy as usual, but what caught his eye was Reid pouring close to a quarter container of sugar into his coffee. Looking him over, Naruto saw he was tired, to the point of exhaustion, and seemed fidgety.

Naruto sighed to himself and walked over to Reid, “Sugar wears off eventually, then you’re going to be forced back to sleep.” Naruto stated making Reid look at him, “Everyone gets them, kid, it would be weird if you didn’t.” Naruto stated making Reid frown, “Dreams, they are something wonderful and something frightening at the same time. Eventually, they’ll either stop or you’ll get used to them. It helps though if you focus on the people you save from the horrors, because then embracing and facing those horrors seems worth it. Another way to help, talk about it, get it off your mind so you can focus and move past it.” Naruto stated patting Reid on the shoulder before making his own cup of coffee.

Reid merely looked down and kept stirring his coffee as Morgan came over, “Easy kid, have some coffee with your sugar.” Morgan stated as he got his own cup.

“I need to wake up.” Reid stated as he kept blinking and closing his eyes tightly.

“Ooh, someone had a late night.” Morgan stated and Naruto smirked.

“Very.” Reid stated adding some creamer to his coffee.

“Nice!” Morgan stated and Reid scoffed with a smile.

“Not that kind of late night.” Reid stated as he drank some of his coffee.

“If it were any other time, I’d say he was watching different Sci-Fi shows and laughing at the errors or extremely low probabilities.” Naruto stated drinking his coffee and still working his shoulders and neck.

“So what is it then?” Morgan asked still grinning and Naruto sighed.

“The nightmares have started.” Naruto started making Morgan lose his playfulness.

“Oh.” Morgan stated while looking at Reid, who was just looking at his cup. “Reid, it’s not uncommon, hell it’s extremely close to being as common as seeing someone breathe. But I don’t think I’m the best person to talk to about this. Have you told Gideon?” Morgan asked and Reid shook his head. “You should, it helps.” Morgan stated before Elle came over.

“Hey, Hotch wants us all in the conference room.” Elle stated walking up to the back door before looking at them and seeing the serious faces. “Something wrong?” Elle asked and Naruto shook his head.

“Nah, we’re all good.” Naruto stated sipping his coffee as she nodded and went into the conference room with Morgan right behind her. “Reid, he’s not wrong, talk to Gideon, talk to Hotch, even talk to me, but you need to talk to someone. Morgan’s just not comfortable because then he has to go over his own nightmares and memories that he’s seen and he doesn’t like letting his vulnerability show. Gideon and Hotch have been around long enough to be able to move past the nightmares and get it out of their way.” Naruto stated as he tossed his cup in the trash.

“What about you?” Reid asked and Naruto snorted a bit.

“Reid, the only nightmares I have are about some things that happened to me before I was the Hunter. Nothing these guys do phases me because I’ve seen and done much worse at times. However, it also helps me to remember that every one of these guys I brought down, that’s at least one more person that wasn’t going to suffer whatever they were doing. That’s one more person that can maybe grow old, have a family if they are young enough or don’t have one, or even become a cop or FBI agent that will help stop the next wave of psychos and killers. The dreams aren’t ever going to go away, but you can accept and move past them so they aren’t bothering you anymore and you can sleep.” Naruto stated making Reid frown before Naruto motioned for them to go into the Conference Room.

The two walked in just as JJ and Hotch were with Gideon a little ways behind, “McAllister. Western slope of the Massanutten Mountain and Virginia. Two bodies were discovered out in the woods, both with apparent blunt trauma to the head.” JJ stated putting the files on the table.

“Skeletons?” Reid asked seeing the picture of a skeleton that was almost fully bare.

“One of them. The second victim was just killed this morning.” JJ clarified as Naruto flipped through the folder looking it over intently.

“Connection?” Elle asked since it could be just two bodies in an area.

“Bodies were found 75 feet from each other with nearly identical head wounds.” Hotch stated and Naruto frowned at the small file.

“Sheriff has no idea how to handle something like this does he? Or is there some other big thing that isn’t in the file?” Naruto asked knowing it should be a simple job for a sheriff so there had to be something to spook him or the guy was new at the job.

“There’s something else, he and his department are waiting on the scene for us. They’re only a half hour away by plane.” Hotch stated making Morgan raise an eyebrow.

“Why the rush?” Morgan asked in confusion as Naruto grabbed the stack of photos and flipped through them.

“There’s evidence at the scene that could cause some public uproar.” Hotch stated before Naruto paused at a photo.

“Aw shit.” Naruto stated before tossing the picture to the middle of the table.

Said picture was of a tombstone shaped rock with a pentagram and “Satan Lives LOD.” The pentagram and message seemed to be written in blood.

“I fucking hate this Satanic bullshit.” Naruto groaned wishing he had more coffee and some heavy duty aspirin since this was going to be an annoying case.

“You’ve dealt with this before?” Elle asked in curiosity and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, the fake wannabes and the “true believers” as they are so eloquently called.” Naruto stated while using air quotes around the true believers part.

“Good, we’ll add what you’ve encountered to what we already know and go from there, wheels up in 20.” Gideon stated before he walked to his office and Naruto sighed before he went to get some more coffee.

Pouring himself a bigger cup, he glanced back to see Elle there with her arms crossed, which pushed her breasts up more, “You ok?” Elle asked knowing he seemed more agitated than usual.

Naruto sighed, “Yeah, just not a day I enjoy that much.” Naruto stated drinking some of the coffee. At Elle’s questioning gaze, Naruto grunted, “It’s the anniversary of me becoming the Hunter.” Naruto stated causing Elle’s eyes to widen.

“Naruto, I’m sorry I… I didn’t-.” Elle stated not sure how to address the fact this was the day his best friend not only betrayed him, but tortured and killed his father, tortured him, and raped and tortured his girlfriend.

“You didn’t know, Elle, so you have nothing to apologize for. I’m not going to be very upbeat today, but I’ll be professional and keep my annoyances in check when needed.” Naruto stated as he downed his cup of coffee and got another cup before walking off to see if his things came.

Elle merely watched him go with a worried look on her face, she hoped he was as all right as he seemed to think he was.

**_LATER ON THE JET_ **

Hotch was standing with his notepad and placed the picture of the writing on small table in front of JJ, “JJ, we obviously need to keep this out of the press for as long as we can.” Hotch stated making JJ nod.

“I’ll do what I can.” JJ stated knowing that sooner or later someone was going to spill the beans and cause a lot of problems.

“Why is that so important?” Elle asked and Naruto snorted.

“A huge scare in the 1980s involved satanic ritual killings and abuse. Cleverly called “The Satanic Panic” and it started after a book was published that talked about repressed memories being recovered through hypnotherapy. As you can no doubt guess, it didn’t go that well. Supposed memories of growing up with devil worshippers who use children in their rituals and ceremonies and most of those claims were false because of the mind fabricating something to explain what was happening to it. The rest were because different therapists “guided” their patients to the memories and kept prodding them into accepting the different scenarios, regardless of how implausible or impossible they were. Not the first time therapists used therapy to push patients into believing things that didn’t happen. People ended up ruined for shit that never happened.” Naruto stated annoyed at these so called “professionals” doing this.

“You sound like you have personal experience.” Morgan asked and Naruto shook his head.

“No. But a friend of mine did. They’re a detective in New York and got a case where a girl was claiming her father had raped her every day since she was 6 and she was currently 17 and even stated times and number of occurrences with her therapist backing her up. Only, when they did a medical exam to ensure she had no STDs or permanent damage, they found that her hymen was still intact and there was no evidence of any kind of trauma to her body at all. However, the girl took a polygraph and passed which raised a lot of questions until they started digging just a bit deeper with their own forensic psychologist. Apparently, the therapist saw “clear signs of sexual abuse” and decided to help her patient connect the dots in her own way, but it also opened up a whole other can of worms as the cops had to go through every single patient she had to find any other cases of “rape” or “abuse” occurring. The shrink is serving time now and is beyond bankrupt. The father though left the family afterwards because they all turned him on him when the daughter made the accusation. Only his mother didn’t turn on him because of what his daughter said before any real evidence besides her statement came in. I don’t know if he ever went back to them or not.” Naruto stated since he never liked shrinks that didn’t have any real reputation to them.

“Geezus.” Elle stated knowing that was horrible and things could get bad for different subjects.

“Yeah. For the current situation though, the sadder part is that despite the clear evidence in the 1980s, numerous therapists accepted the assertions as true and began searching for similar signs in their own patients which then caused the event to spiral even further. In one year, thousands of people started reporting the exact same “repressed” memories and different lives were nearly ruined or entirely ruined.” Naruto stated and Hotch nodded.

“The Bureau conducted an investigation and concluded that most of the ritual killings or abuse were more urban legend than anything else. The first patients had apparently been interested in some old myths of their neighborhood and when the psychiatrists began pushing on them, the legends became memories to them.” Hotch stated making Naruto nod knowing it was a pain in the ass to figure out what was real reports and what was fake.

“So, what? You’re saying there’s no such thing as devil worshipping?” Elle asked and Naruto laughed a bit.

“No, not at all.” Naruto stated with a smirk as Gideon spoke.

“Most of the satanism we’ve seen is juveniles damaging property, desecrating churches, cemeteries. To my knowledge, there’s never been a proven case of a satanic ritual killing in the United States.” Gideon stated as Morgan looked at the pictures.

“Well, maybe we got the first one.” Morgan stated knowing they had to account for everything.

“Unlikely.” Naruto stated looking over a few photos.

“What are you seeing?” Gideon asked and Naruto hummed a moment.

“First victim is relatively hidden and has been a long time, maybe with the pentagram and wording. Second victim is left out in the open with no indication of wording or satanism besides what’s by the first body. The only reason the decomposed body was found was because the authorities did a search for any other evidence and stumbled across it. So, either these two cases aren’t connected or something happened that caused the unsub to not have time or the chance to hide the second body and prepare the scene.” Naruto stated making them frown since he had a point, why hide one and not the other?

“What could have interrupted him?” Hotch asked and Naruto shrugged.

“Hard to say. Though my gut tells me we should check to see if anyone else is missing or maybe was supposed to be out running with the second victim, the unsub may not have planned on anyone being there when he struck so he panicked and had to improvise. Means we aren’t dealing with a pro or someone who has been doing this a long time.” Naruto stated making them nod. “There’s also the fact that if this is a cult, why would only one person be involved in this killing? If there was someone interrupting the kill, one or two people can overpower them while at least another one moves the body to wherever it is they want it moved to not be found quickly. So, are we looking for the world’s most panicky cult or are we looking for one person who’s hoping to inspire terror or cover his tracks by making people think it’s a satanic cult? Or the most unlikely, but not impossible scenario, is there a cult that has a one member in it that’s more violent than the rest?” Naruto continued making the group frown as those were possibilities.

“We’ll get a better grasp of the situation when we land, for now what do you know of both sets of possibilities?” Gideon stated as they went over the bit of information that they had, plus Naruto’s experience.

“The wannabes are the usual things: vandalism, animal killings, desecration of religious sites, the usual teen rebel “give me attention” stuff that doesn’t need to be taken seriously per se especially since they don’t quite recruit so much as offer people a place to hang out and have no rules. The supposed true believers are the more dangerous ones. They fully go into the brainwashing, you only trust us and no one else, Satan is the ultimate power in the universe. Their methods and practices vary, but the constant is that they follow many of the witch, wiccan, and nature based occurrences, days of power, prime nature days, and festivals. None I encountered reached the point of murder, but they were still extremely violent and dangerous to a number of people and some were approaching murder and sacrificing humans.” Naruto stated while rubbing his eyes.

“How bad we talking?” Morgan asked and Naruto sighed.

“I once stopped a cult from conducting a mass rape during a full blood moon that happened at the summer solstice because they thought impregnating women on that day would imbue the children with the power of the Devil and siphon power from the Earth to further strengthen them. They furthered this by covering the women in different animal sacrificial blood, carved pentagrams into their bodies above their wombs and hearts, all the while doing the cliché of robes, candles, sacrificial circles, and so on and so forth. Their future plans were to cut the children out of the mothers using the mothers’ sacrifice to even further bolster the children’s so called powers. To add even more cruelty to this, they had women ranging from ages 8 to 50 years old hoping that the diverse ages would yield a multitude of results as they had virgins, prostitutes, housewives, mothers, and children who knew nothing of sex or the cruelty of the world.” Naruto stated horrifying the others as he drank some water and took some aspirin.

“That’s…” Reid started but couldn’t find the words.

“Cruel? Inhumane? Insane? Barbaric? Atrocious? Sadistic? All of the above and more? Yeah. I freed the victims and then paid personal attention to the people involved as both men and women were involved in the cult and the women were all for it, but couldn’t be the ones to give birth because their prayers were needed to ensure each of the victims were to be impregnated and then when the children were old enough, the cult would then breed with them to further increase their power and praise to the devil, then they would mate with those children and occasionally bringing in new blood to further bolster the odds of impregnation and growth.” Naruto stated with a frown and sigh..

“And you know that because?” Elle asked and Naruto just looked at her making freeze at the look in his eyes.

“You’d be amazed the information you get when people start to fear you over their supposed god. After the first few interrogations and kills, the cult turned to worshipping me thinking I was some avatar or chosen champion of Satan that was punishing them for their pathetic practices with the women wanting to entice me to give them offspring by literally tearing their clothes off and presenting themselves. I killed most of the populace, but left quite a few members since the cops arrived and I wasn’t interested in getting caught.” Naruto stated making Elle swallow a lump in her throat, both because the look in his eyes unnerved her slightly and because she was imagining a small army of women all presenting themselves to Naruto for his enjoyment, with her being among them ready to be taken and bred.

It was taking all her willpower not to blush.

“What does your experience tell you about this?” Gideon stated while feeling this was one of those times he didn’t mind Naruto killing as much, death penalty come early in one sense. He didn’t approve of it, far from it, but he could understand it since if he were in Naruto’s shoes, Gideon couldn’t say he’d let them all live and keep them that way until the authorities arrived. It was easy to say he would, but another matter to actually be in the situation.

“This isn’t a cult matter. If it was, they would have kept the body to continue to desecrate it and add to their cult’s powers. There’s also the fact we don’t know if the first body is even a victim or just some poor sap who fell down the hill and clunked his head on something and died there before someone found the body later and decided to commit the murder we know for sure happened. Even then, to be fair, we don’t know if the most recent death is a murder since the guy could have tripped on the path and slammed into the rock head first. It’s also possible the first body was an accident and someone moved it because they wanted to watch the body deteriorate and then they or someone else decided to use the body as part of a scare tactic and then killed the new person if he was killed at all.” Naruto stated making them all nod since he had a point that they wouldn’t know if either was murder until they investigated, even then they had no real way of knowing if the first body was murdered.

Naruto sighed again as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair, “The purpose of the cult is whatever the cult leader wants, so if they wanted bodies placed in locations that they could put the markings at, then why didn’t they move the body off a path that it could be found on? The area is too wild, confusing, and twisting to be an outsider so it’s a local, though the locals may not know it since the cult doesn’t exactly make itself known or use public places if it can help it. Usually abandoned areas or places that people rarely go so they can do whatever they want and not risk being found out. The woods in general is unlikely due to the fact I’m sure many use the trails and the like for exercise or just to clear their heads, plus different animals could interfere in any so called rituals or practices the cult performs, so it has to be a building, shelter, or some form of those two to be effective and work. Could be an abandoned building, an old mine, or a number of things that could be used for meetings and protect the people from the elements and local fauna. The typical thing would be teenagers, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be some members that are beyond their teens, in fact it may even entice some teens to join them as the adults would be “cool” and more open than the parents are, thus alcohol, music, drugs, and other things they couldn’t have normally can now be obtained while hanging out with people who can understand them. It’s even more effective if the leader is a woman as she can lure teenage boys in with sex and seduction and get any girls that are part of the group to seduce and gain more followers too. So taking a look at the local teenagers and maybe talking to the teachers about any troublemakers currently in the school or that graduated within the last… 7 years or so, the biggest outcast that the town would be happier if they moved away. Of course getting volunteers to talk to us about anything we could need is also a good idea as this unsub wouldn’t be able to stop from joining the investigation to dangle bait or direct us in a certain way that they want us to.” Naruto stated as he sighed heavily. “All of this is just conjecture with no current substance until I can see the scene and get a feel for it all.” Naruto added making them nod since going off a few photos and a small file wasn’t that useful, and Naruto worked better on scene than just straight up theory.

“Who’s our contact on scene?” Hotch asked as he looked at JJ.

“Uh, Sheriff Bridges. He’s been the sheriff for about 10 years now and he was pretty shaken when I talked to him.” JJ stated and Naruto snorted.

“I’m sure, small town means close knit community and small religious options, so finding a possibility of a satanic cult in his territory probably shook him to his core. Especially since there’s the fact it could easily be a local and thus someone he knows could be capable of this, which a part of him will never want to accept. Thus he’s in conflict with himself as he knows he has a duty to protect his community, but he can’t fathom someone he knows being capable of this since at least 10 years of being in a small town means he knows everyone and everyone knows him. Basically, we may need to alienate him a bit until we know fully well what we’re dealing with because he won’t let us do anything that puts targets on the backs of his friends and neighbors. There’s also the fact the sheriff could be involved and is using this to drum up publicity and gain attention or he wants to try outsmarting the FBI.” Naruto stated knowing the sheriff would be an obstacle for a while until they could gain his trust and clear him.

The others all nodded knowing they had to tread carefully until they knew better what they were dealing with.

**_MASSANUTTEN MOUNTAIN: HIKING TRAIL_ **

Driving up to the scene, the team saw five different vehicles all parked outside yellow tape. A few deputies were still searching the area or trying to look busy since they had no idea what to do at the moment. The latter told Naruto they were locals who hadn’t ever handled a murder or anything close to it before. Maybe some poor saps who died from an accident or were victims of animals, but nothing like this.

Hotch showed his identification and declared who they were as they entered the area and Naruto began looking around and noted it was unlikely the most recent body was an accident. The area, the positioning of the body and rock were FAR too unlikely to be a natural/accidental death.

Turning, he walked down the nearby slope with Reid, Gideon, and JJ as they were introduced to Sheriff Bridges, and Naruto immediately could tell the guy wasn’t involved. The fear, shock, and horror of the situation was too real for him to be faking it, he obviously had never seen something like this and never wanted to see anything like it.

Naruto squatted down and looked over the supposed ritual site and immediately saw red flags to the supposed ritual space of it. Turning to look at the sheriff, Naruto spoke, “Have your crime scene guys taken samples from around here?” Naruto asked and the sheriff nodded, “Good.” Naruto stated as he pulled out his knife and wedged it under a large pool of wax before twisting it a bit and loosened the whole pool.

Picking it up, Naruto looked it over and smelled it, “Well, this is near brand new.” Naruto stated holding it up to Reid, “There’s no layers of wax, it’s just one large brick, and they still have the different scents in them, meaning they haven’t been here anywhere near as long as the body has been.” Naruto stated as he sheathed his knife and began looking at the pentagram and frowned. “Any of you have a tissue or something disposable?” Naruto asked the four and they dug in their pockets before Reid produced a tissue and Naruto nodded before pressing it against some of the red areas and held it there a minute before pulling it back showing some red spots on it. “This blood hasn’t fully dried out either, so either someone did this with the other victim’s blood, or this isn’t human blood, which means it hasn’t been here as long as the body either.” Naruto stated as he held the tissue carefully knowing he couldn’t drop and leave it.

“So what does that mean?” Bridges asked in confusion.

“Someone took the time to drip wax all over this spot to make it seem like a shrine, ritual site, or grave, but given this dry brush and location, lit candles here would have started a fire.” Reid supplied seeing what Naruto was getting it.

“Basically, someone may have killed both these people, but it wasn’t, at least originally, a satanic cult that did it. Whether the killer converted or someone else found this body and then put this stuff here before killing the other victim is unknown though.” Gideon stated making Bridges nod.

“Doesn’t mean there’s not a cult here, just means that they weren’t responsible for this body.” Naruto stated as he stood and started going back up the slope and began looking around the second spot after dropping the tissue in an evidence bag courtesy of one of the other deputies.

“The kid was kind of a local superstar, leader of the football team and was looking at a major scholarship.” A deputy named Harris stated as he talked with Morgan and Hotch while Elle was up a slope near them looking around.

“So he was pretty strong?” Morgan asked as Naruto looked over the ground.

“Ran this trail everyday, that’s no easy feat.” Harris stated making them nod.

“Did he usually run with anyone?” Naruto asked as he knelt and examined the ground.

“No, usually runs solo. From what I heard he did to clear his head and just be alone.” Harris stated as Naruto frowned and moved some leaves.

“I don’t think he was running alone today.” Naruto stated as he looked over the area.

“What makes you say that?” Hotch asked as Naruto pressed his hand against the ground.

“Pair of tennis shoe tracks that come up to the body followed by knees. Someone, my guess a female judging by the weight distribution on the tracks and the shoe size being a woman’s size 8, came down that hill and knelt by the victim’s body. Then from behind comes a pair of hiking boots, size 9 men’s, before there’s a struggle, body hits the ground here, and then was dragged away.” Naruto stated motioning further along the trail.

Harris merely looked up the path before looking back at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, “You some kind of tracker?” Harris asked and Naruto smirked.

“Let’s just say I’ve done a lot of hunting and tracking for hunting.” Naruto stated as he looked over the area. “Does the victim have a girlfriend?” Naruto asked looking to Harris.

“Uh… what was her name? Cherish… Cherish Hanson.” Harris stated and Naruto sighed.

“Someone should get one the phone to her parents and ask-“ Naruto started before he was cut off by a woman.

“Sheriff! Sheriff!” An older blond woman shouted as she came up.

“It’s all right, let her through.” Bridges stated as he looked at Gideon, “Veronica Hanson, a local.” Bridges informed as the now named Veronica came up.

“Was Adam Lloyd killed up here?!?” Veronica shouted and Bridges frowned.

“Who told you tha-“ Bridges was cut off as Veronica continued.

“WAS HE?!!? MY DAUGHTER WAS WITH HIM FOR THE RUN THIS MORNING AND I CAN’T FIND HER!” Veronica shouted as she broke down into tears, “My daughter is missing and I can’t find her.” Veronica stated as Bridges caught her before she could fall.

Naruto sighed as he stood up, “And that makes it harder.” Naruto stated with a sigh as he looked at Elle, “Care to follow the girl’s tracks back a ways? Maybe find some sign of the unsub following them or if this was opportunity or he was lying in wait right here knowing the vic had to come through here at some point.” Naruto asked and Elle nodded before the two trekked up the hill as Naruto followed the tracks that were still in the ground.

Morgan merely watched the two go before looking at Hotch, “You ever think there’s something going on there?” Morgan asked motioning to the duo.

“She’s got an interest in him, haven’t decided if it’s romantic or something else yet.” Hotch stated making Morgan frown.

With Elle and Naruto, they were walking through the woods as Naruto followed the trail the girl left. “So, you doing all right?” Elle asked not sure how to approach the subject really.

“’Bout as well as can be expected given the circumstances.” Naruto stated following the trail as Elle walked with him.

“Is there anything I can-“ Elle started before Naruto just looked at her. “Right, stupid question.” Elle stated as she knew there wasn’t anything she could do.

“No problem, now do you want to keep worrying about me or maybe learn something?” Naruto asked as he squatted down near a spot and waved her over as she looked at a patch of ground that was covered in leaves, but if you looked hard you could see two foot sized depressions in the leaves and a bit of a trail through them too.

“Okay, I see a lot of leaves.” Elle stated making Naruto laugh slightly.

“Come on.” Naruto stated making her squat down beside him, “See these two impressions here at the base of the tree? Tells me that she stopped here and planted her feet to keep herself upright as she was out of breath from running to this point, but then that trail through them shows me that she hurt herself as she’s dragging a foot now and not taking time to fully take a stride in her step. So, she must have gotten separated from Adam Lloyd and then got spooked and started running to find him, only she got more than she bargained for when she did.” Naruto stated showing her the two traces and she nodded.

“Okay, so was this crime of opportunity or was the unsub aiming to kill Adam and/or abduct Cherish?” Elle asked and Naruto frowned.

“Adam ran the trail every day, it was his pattern, routine, and schedule. Cherish didn’t, so unless someone was heavily stocking her or she mentioned she was going to be running with Adam, there’s no way the unsub could have known she would be here.” Naruto stated making her nod, “However, only a local would know Adam ran that trail every day, which means someone was targeting him unless there’s some recluse or outcast around here that isn’t kept up to date on things and then ambushed whoever came by. There’s the unlikely possibility that someone going by saw Cherish and Adam come in and wanted Cherish, but to keep up in these woods and then be able to circumvent and get ahead of them to ambush Adam is not likely unless it’s someone who comes through this area enough that they could be familiar with the forest.” Naruto stated making Elle nod since she couldn’t make headway of the correct direction to get back to the trail from the different turning and twists they took following Cherish’ fleeing run.

“So the Unsub was likely ambushing Adam, meaning he didn’t have to follow or stalk him because he always ran the same trail, so the Unsub would know exactly where to ambush and get away without having to worry too much on the planning.” Elle stated and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, there’s no signs at all that someone was chasing her, no doubt being alone in the woods just spiked a physiological and psychological response and she bolted before coming across Adam. So Adam was definitely the target and Cherish got in the way.” Naruto stated making Elle nod.

“That narrows things down, now can you take us back to the trail? I don’t want to spend the day out here if I can help it.” Elle stated and Naruto gave a mock hurt face.

“What? And here I thought I was going to make out with a beautiful woman in the woods while we were alone.” Naruto stated making Elle shove him as she had a bit of pink on her face.

“In your dreams.” Elle stated as Naruto laughed stood up.

“Not quite, in my dreams we do a lot more than kiss.” Naruto teased with a grin as Elle dropped her jaw and blushed a bit. “Careful, wouldn’t want to get any bugs in your mouth.” Naruto stated with his grin still in place as he started walking while Elle half glared at him on the way back.

Along the way, Elle stopped at a tree to adjust her shoes and Naruto stopped by her, “Elle, do you trust me?” Naruto asked and Elle looked at him with a frown.

“Yeah, I mean you haven’t given me a reason not to. So, of course I do.” Elle stated as she stood up straight.

“Close your eyes.” Naruto stated making Elle raise an eyebrow as a bit of pink came back to her face again.

“Why do you want me to trust you with my eyes closed?” Elle asked and Naruto just looked at her.

“Close your eyes.” Naruto stated as Elle bit her bottom lip and nodded before closing her eyes with her lips slightly pursed.

Naruto, however, wasn’t looking at Elle as his eyes moved to the left of her and saw a large snake open its maws to bite her. However, before it could, Naruto lashed out and caught it by the neck gripping it tight before pulling it towards him as the body dragged on Elle’s shoulder and made her open her eyes.

Doing so made her freeze in fear as she watched Naruto pull the seven foot snake over her shoulder before it ended with a rattle at the end of it. Said snake was hissing and angrily thrashing at being held like it was before Naruto promptly grabbed the head and snapped the neck killing the snake instantly. For good measure, he pulled his knife out and gutted it just to be safe before tossing the carcass away.

Naruto saw Elle just staring at the now dead animal, “Timber Rattlesnake. They like trees and shrubs that shed their leaves in a cycle especially in terrain that’s not often traveled.” Naruto stated rubbing her shoulder a bit to calm her down.

“Deadly?” Elle asked as she hugged herself.

“Not as much as other snakes. Antivenom given within 2 hours has a chance of success above 99% and fatality usually doesn’t come till at least 12 hours if not treated.” Naruto stated making Elle nod. “Hey, it’s okay, it didn’t bite you and we’re heading back now.” Naruto stated rubbing her back soothingly.

Elle just nodded not saying anything before Naruto ushered her forward. “Come on, let’s head back, shouldn’t be anymore of those for a while since they’re territorial and don’t care for any others being too close.” Naruto stated knowing he was bending the truth a bit, but it would make Elle feel better for it so it was fine.

Elle nodded and Naruto led her back to the path with her shivering slightly at the thought of the snake, but pushed it down knowing it was a circumstance of being in the woods.

Plus she could ignore the fact she was actually preparing for Naruto to kiss her right then and there.

**_LATER_ **

Naruto watched as dozens upon dozens of people came out for a search party for Cherish Hanson. While unlikely she was still in the woods, it allowed the team to get the names of many members of the town without being conspicuous since they needed to keep track of all the volunteers and where they were going to be, so they needed to sign the list. Naruto had tried to track the trail from the girl, but whoever it was that took her crossed through quite a bit of thick brush and rocky terrain making it hard to pick what was disturbed by a person and what was from an animal. The unsub was evidently strong enough to carry the girl though since her drag trail disappeared but the boot prints got deeper before he hit the rocky terrain.

Either someone knew enough of tracking to take the rocky terrain to make it hard to follow or they took that path because they knew it well enough to get through with little trouble.

However, none of that mattered right now as Naruto noticed one of the local teen girls looking questioningly and suspiciously at the site of the first body. “Gideon, that girl there. She keeps looking at where the first body was as if she knows it should be there. She’s also nervous, anxious, and looks like she wants to talk to someone, but not anyone in town.” Naruto stated quietly since some of the locals would react negatively towards singling one of their own out.

“Any idea on her name?” Gideon asked JJ as she flipped through the sign in sheet.

“Uh… Brandi Dreifort.” JJ stated making Gideon nod.

“Head on back to the office and get Garcia on the names. Our unsub is still here somewhere.” Gideon stated making JJ nod.

“Have her check the teens too, they may have some history that could point us in the right direction.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod at JJ to do it.

They needed to cover all bases after all.

A short while later had them all divided into grids and search areas with Naruto being placed with Morgan and the two were moving through a denser part of grass. “Watch your step, one wrong move and you find an angry snake or an animal trap.” Naruto recommended as they combed the area.

Morgan merely hummed at him as he kept looking with their group being dispersed around them. “You want to talk about it?” Naruto asked as he kept looking for any tracks or signs.

“Talk about what?” Morgan asked looking around for anything out of the ordinary.

“The fact that me knowing about your childhood bothers you a great deal.” Naruto stated and noticed the subtle tensing of Morgan’s body. “You don’t like others knowing, I get it and if I could control being able to read people then I’d apologize. But you know as well as I do it’s not something you can just turn off and ignore when interacting with others.” Naruto stated making Morgan sigh.

“How long have you known?” Morgan asked as he walked.

“Which part: the abuse or your father being killed in front of you?” Naruto asked making Morgan look at him. “Your abuse was since I first met you, I could see it in the way you walk, move, talk, and act, your father I didn’t know about until the Karl Arnold case. The way you reacted to the fathers and everything showed clearly, at least to me. Your father died obviously, but your zealousness to be a cop means he was too and it’s not that big of a step to he died in the line of duty, your reactions to dead fathers in front of their kids told me he was killed in front of you.” Naruto explained making Morgan click his tongue.

“Fine, just go telling others about it.” Morgan stated before Naruto grabbed and pulled him back, “Hey!” Morgan stated looking at Naruto as said blonde held a hand up before grabbing a stick and jabbed it right where Morgan was about to step.

A clang was heard before a loud SNAP occurred as a bear trap snapped up and crushed the stick making Morgan raise his eyebrows in surprise. “I did say watch where you step.” Naruto stated as he tossed the twig in his hand away and patted Morgan’s shoulder, “And don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone unless there’s truly no other choice.” Naruto stated as he turned to their group, “Hey! We’re in bear territory now, watch your step for traps, grab a good sized branch or stick if you have to and tap around just to be safe. It also means careful how far you stray from the group and be mindful of your surroundings, the last thing we need is to piss off a Black Bear.” Naruto stated getting different nods and agreements from the group as they kept trekking.

It was a couple hours later that they were getting ready to wrap up as the volunteers were heading back and Morgan and Naruto were doing one last once over before doing the same. However, Naruto stopped him as he started looking around. “What?” Morgan asked looking and seeing nothing.

“Do you hear that?” Naruto asked and Morgan frowned.

“I don’t hear anything.” Morgan stated and Naruto nodded.

“Exactly, no birds, no squirrels, no insects, absolutely nothing. There’s something near us that’s not friendly and the other animals are trying not to draw attention.” Naruto stated making Morgan frown as he reached for his gun until Naruto stopped him. “Don’t. Worst case scenario it’s a Black Bear and all you’ll do to him is piss it off, best case it’s a couple wolves or a cougar and it’s just passing by.” Naruto stated as he kept looking and Morgan frowned.

“Him?” Morgan asked and Naruto nodded.

“If it was a mother bear, we’d already be getting mauled. The fact that we haven’t means it’s a male.” Naruto stated making Morgan nod and move his hand away.

It was only a few moments later that they heard heavy panting and saw a large Black Bear a couple dozen yards from them and it hadn’t noticed them yet. “Move slowly away back towards the hiking trail, if it sees us, don’t hesitate and just run as fast as you can and don’t stop.” Naruto stated as he and Morgan began backing up slowly.

The bear ignored them it seemed as they moved into the tree line before moving faster. After five minutes of running, the two stopped to catch their breath panting a bit before they started laughing. “You all right?” Naruto asked as they caught their breath.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Morgan answered before Naruto motioned him to follow and the two made the trek back to where the others were and hoped the others had better luck in their search than they did.

**_LATER: SHERIFF’S OFFICE_ **

The team was in the office of the sheriff talking alone for a minute before they presented the profile. Reason they were talking was because Elle found torn off sleeve of a hoodie and a bloody note in her area. “Satan demands the virgin be sacrificed at the next full moon.” Naruto read before snorting, “Well clearly the unsub doesn’t know Cherish that well or is in denial.” Naruto stated making Elle and JJ look at him.

“That’s a bit stereotyping don’t you think?” Elle asked disapprovingly.

“I’m not saying she’s not a virgin because she’s a cheerleader, I’m saying giving the statistical probability of the area and teenagers in general, it’s unlikely that she’s a virgin.” Naruto stated making them look at him in expectation, “You got two hormonal kids that get pumped up on adrenaline every game and no doubt celebrate together which no doubt contains booze in some form, they’ve been together close to year, they live in a town where Christianity and its virtues are shoved down their throat while they’re in the ripe years for teenage rebellion and hormones, constant peer pressure about their status that it is a “given” that they’re having sex, and then you add in cliché yet accurate circumstance of teenage parties with alcohol? It’s not unlikely in the slightest that she and Adam were sleeping together. I bet if we went to her house and found her diary or talked to her friends, we’d probably find some mention of it, the mother may have even gotten her on the pill since she didn’t seem that religious or overly strict.” Naruto explained making the two women have to concede his point since hormones enhanced a sex drive and sex being an act of rebellion would only further spur it, especially if alcohol was involved.

“There also the fact the note in itself makes no sense.” Naruto added making them look at him again while Gideon was already nodding. “Why put the note and sleeve so far away from the crime scene where it may never be found? Unless of course…” Naruto casket and Gideon continued.

“He knew the search party would be sure to find it, meaning he made up the note and put the sleeve there after we announced a search or even during the search.” Gideon stated making the others nod.

“Which means Cherish is most likely already dead somewhere.” Hotch stated while rubbing his face.

“Couldn’t she be alive though?” JJ asked and they shook their heads.

“Adam was targeted, he wasn’t getting out of the woods alive meaning the Unsub likely didn’t wear anything to hide his identity and Cherish would have most likely seen his face, meaning she couldn’t be spared. So it’s more than likely her body is out there somewhere.” Morgan informed as JJ nodded with a frown.

“Somewhere that the Unsub is probably waiting to leave a breadcrumb trail right to when he’s ready for her to be found. He’s getting off on the control and power it gives especially since the town is practically terrified of him and who could be killed next. If not for the fact the pastor was truly shaken by the murder and Cherish being missing, I’d almost think this was a scare tactic of a stunt to make people flock back to church, but on top of the pastor not being a suspect, this town is too small and religious for such a thing.” Naruto stated making them nod slightly.

“Well, we’re ready to give the profile.” Gideon stated as they nodded before Naruto paused and looked to the main office area and saw the Sheriff’s son Cory looking around at everyone, not seeming to be disturbed at all by the situation or worried about Cherish.

“Well, that’s interesting.” Naruto stated making the team pause and look.

“What?” Reid asked in confusion.

“It’s interesting that Cory showed up at the station just after the FBI arrived and could help rally the jocks, then he’d be part of the search while being able to see every area that’s going to be searched including where he’d go and know how to get to each area, and now he’s here to listen to the profile, no doubt under the guise that he may know or seen someone that fits the profile. He seems to be inserting himself into the case every step of the way. There’s also the fact Reid mentioned he’s read all the profiler books, meaning he knows what we look for, what to leave behind, what to make sure he hides till the last moment..” Naruto stated making them frown seeing where he was going with this.

“We say nothing to the Sheriff until we can be certain.” Hotch stated making them nod as they went out to the main area as the officers gathered in front of them.

“Contrary to popular belief, there has never been a proven case of satanic ritual killing. Never a verified human sacrifice. Having said that, there have been isolated cases of animal sacrifice... and many, many cases of vandalism in the name of Satan.” Hotch started off as he wanted to get the basics done.

“Now, that doesn't mean that ritual satanism is impossible. And more importantly, for our purposes, there have seen cults that killed, just not in ritual fashion.” Morgan stated before motioning to Reid.

“One example is the reverend Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple... his followers killed a U.S. Congressman and three people before committing mass suicide, leaving over nine hundred people dead. Another example, and perhaps the most widely-known of the killer cults: the Manson Family, under the direction of Charles Manson, killed nine people in a four day period in an attempt to initiate a race war.” Reid supplied as he wanted them to understand that cults could be very dangerous.

“Killer cults do exist, and they all have one thing in common: invariably, they're headed by charismatic megalomaniacs. You're looking for that leader. He's who will stand out. He'll be memorable to somebody; people who aren't in his group will see him as strange, weird, scary. A recluse, someone who won’t follow the normalcy of the area regardless of what it is.” Elle stated knowing they needed the sheriff and deputies to be on the lookout.

“Since we're dealing with professed satanists, which is often practiced by younger males, we may be looking for teenagers or at the very least people in their 20s. Heavy metal music is often associated with satanism, and these kids and their leader may reflect that in their look. Most likely, there'll be sex, drugs, and alcohol. Now, the leader, he'll be older. It's part of his charm as he presents himself as an authority figure that really does understand them. The main thing to remember here though is that while the culprit may be a satanist, it doesn’t necessarily mean the entire group are killers or even know about the deaths being done by a member.” Morgan continued since using that one of their members is killing could shake the group.

“And he is from this area. He's definitely local.” Hotch stated makes the officers look at him.

“You think one of our own people is doing this?” Sheriff Bridges asked and they nodded.

“These woods are too thick and confusing for a visitor to get around in without getting lost, you’d need months if not years of being around and in them to get through them with no difficulty. Plus the fact that Adam was ambushed suggests someone knew his routine and knew exactly where they could lie in wait and attack him, maybe even get us to find the other body and the satanism markings.” Gideon stated making the officers frown.

“Why would they want that?” Deputy Harris asked.

“Because one murder isn’t even a blip on a radar. But two murders with a satanic cult link to them? That’s front page news.” Naruto supplied looking over them. “This killer likes showing how smart he is, how much better than others he is. Killing Adam doesn’t show much, but connecting his death to a satanic cult that may or may not exist gets much more attention. I mean, look at what happened: the entire Sheriff Department showed up, the FBI showed up, people in the town are scared and shaken, a search was instigated because of what he did, and now there’s a rush and need to find the girl before she can be killed all because of his actions. He’s playing puppeteer with the town and everyone in it to see how long he can have them dancing to his tune and doing what he wants while the whole time he gets to bask in the fact that he’s outsmarting everyone around him because no one thinks to point the finger at him.” Naruto supplied making them frown further and Naruto noted a subtle eye twitching and slight frown on Cory’s face.

“Look, I just can’t believe there’s be anyone like-“ Bridges started before Cory spoke.

“Dad.” Cory cut in making everyone turn to him, “I know someone like that.” Cory continued making his father frown.

“We’ll talk in my office.” Bridges stated as he, Cory, Gideon, Hotch, Naruto, and the pastor went to the office.

“His name is Mike Zizzo, he graduated five years ago, in his 20s but still hangs around teenagers. He’s got a crew, both from here and a couple other towns. They hang out, listen to loud music, drink, get high, and basically party all night. But…” Cory stated before stopping himself.

“It’s all right son.” Bridges stated and Cory sighed.

“He has pentagrams painted everywhere. He talks about how God is just a set of rules that force people to conform to social norms rather than being who they are while Satan has no rules and you can be whoever you want. He calls himself and the followers the Lord of Destruction.” Cory stated while Naruto shared a look with Gideon since this was just too convenient.

“How do you know this, Cory?” Bridges asked and Cory sucked on his lip a minute before answering.

“I’ve been there once, it was a party after we won the championship. I never went back and I figured so long as no one got hurt, I didn’t have the right to make the others stop going.” Cory stated making his father nod with a sigh.

“Where is it?” Gideon asked as Cory looked at him.

“On the other side of the mountain. The old Jenson House.” Cory supplied making Bridges sigh.

“It’s out of my jurisdiction.” Bridges stated looking at Gideon.

“But not ours.” Naruto stated as they got up to get the rest of the team ready and have JJ call the Sheriff’s office that was in charge of that jurisdiction as well as get the State Police ready to roll.

“I’m sorry dad.” Cory stated as Bridges nodded and left with the pastor patting Cory’s shoulder.

As Naruto and the team were getting in the car, Naruto and Gideon saw Brandi Dreifort there, watching them and looking nervous. “Guess her conscience ate at her too much.” Naruto stated making Gideon nod before closing the car door.

“I’m not going, I’ll fill you in when you get back.” Gideon stated as he followed Brandi and the team took off for the old Jenson House.

Pulling up, they could easily hear the overly cranked up metal music booming within the house and light shining out from the windows. Getting out, they approached both doors and nodded to each other before going in, “FBI/Sheriff’s Department/State Police, nobody move!” Each of them shouted as they entered and the partying kids all stopped and had their hands up before Naruto and Morgan went to the back and found Zizzo standing there with his arms up while smiling at them all.

Hitting the stereo to make it turn off, Naruto looked at Zizzo, “Come on down, we need to talk.” Naruto stated as Zizzo scoffed before hopping down and putting his hands behind his head and looking at the ceiling.

“Look at me.” Naruto stated as Zizzo ignored him before Naruto grabbed him, “Look. At. Me.” Naruto ordered as Zizzo did and felt a chill go down his spine. “Are you a Satanist? And I mean a real one.” Naruto asked and Zizzo shrugged.

“Depends on what you mean by a real one, man. Do you know what Satanism is?” Zizzo asked and Naruto nodded.

“Satan comes from ancient Hebrew meaning Opposer. Satan opposes and rejects all the statutes, fundamentals, and creeds of the Christian church, which often is filled to the brim with hypocrisy, and living in this small town getting God crammed down your throat would make anyone oppose it.” Naruto stated as Zizzo blinked owlishly before nodding. “You have no idea why we are here, do you?” Naruto asked as Zizzo shrugged. Naruto just looked him over before snorting and pushing him to Morgan and shaking his head. “He’s not the guy, but he may know something that can help us. He’s just an atheist, hitting all the buzzers to piss off anyone from the church.” Naruto stated as Zizzo blinked at him and Morgan cuffed Zizzo.

“All right, all of you head home, now!” Bridges ordered making the kids start to clear out of there.

Naruto sighed as he rolled his neck before thinking of something, “Hey! Hold on.” Naruto called before going over to Zizzo, “There any other buildings here?” Naruto asked and Zizzo just looked at him. “Hey, you’re being set up for two murders and a kidnapping which is most likely turning into a third murder, you may want to cooperate a bit since my team and I are the only ones that don’t think you did it.” Naruto stated making Zizzo widen his eyes.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We draw stars upside down, drink, listen to metal, and have sex. We don’t hurt anyone or kill people.” Zizzo stated as Naruto nodded.

“Agreed, but if someone wanted to frame you, they’d need to put the third body closer to you. Now they couldn’t get it in the house without being found, so I’ll ask again, are there any other buildings here?” Naruto asked and Zizzo sucked his teeth before sighing.

“There’s a building around back, some kind of sluice structure. We tagged it a few times but never use it. No point.” Zizzo stated and Naruto nodded before looking to the team.

“Find the kid, my guess is Brandi Dreifort is telling Gideon about the skeleton and everything right now. I’ll hang here in case he shows up since he probably doubts Zizzo will tell us anything.” Naruto told the others making them nod as the cops started clearing out while Morgan and Deputy Harris hung around with him.

“I’m gonna take a look around the area, see if there’s any other buildings.” Naruto stated playing dumb for Harris since if he knew they found the body, he’d call in crime scene and more officers, which would tip Cory off and they couldn’t do that yet. All they had was circumstantial and the profile, nothing concrete to arrest him on.

Trekking into the woods behind the house, it only took a few minutes to find the building and saw a large pentagram with LOD under it. Climbing the stairs, and being careful to ensure he wasn’t going to fall through them, he entered and looked around with a flashlight before finding the girl. She was cut up badly and was obviously dead for quite some time evidenced by her being pale and her eyes already turning foggy. Naruto sighed tiredly, he hated those kinds of eyes, the ones that seemed to be staring into your soul asking “why?” It wasn’t pleasant, but far from the worst thing he’d seen or experienced.

Still, it always unnerved him slightly to stare into the soulless of an innocent person.

Sighing to himself, he trekked back to the house and saw Morgan was alone. “Where’s Harris?” Naruto asked as Morgan looked at him.

“Had to go file the report, asked him to come back with some coffee when he was done.” Morgan stated making Naruto nod, “Was she there?” Morgan asked and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, cut up and eyes wide open and soulless.” Naruto stated with a sigh that Morgan mirrored.

“Damn.” Morgan muttered as they stood there a few moments before a car came towards the house.

“Late partier or did Cory decide it was time for us to find the body?” Naruto asked as Morgan shrugged.

The car pulled up and out came Cory looking to be in a panic, “Did you find her?” Cory asked in a hurry.

“No.” Naruto stated as he calmly stood there.

“Did Zizzo say anything?” Cory asked and Naruto shrugged.

“We don’t know, we’ve been here. We searched the house and there was nothing.” Naruto stated as Cory was panting and looking around.

“What about the out building?” Cory asked and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, searched there too, she’s not there.” Naruto lied as both he and Morgan saw Cory falter.

“What?” Cory asked in obvious confusion.

“We checked the sluice structure around back. They tagged it with a pentagram and LOD, but there’s nothing else there.” Naruto stated as Cory was trying to think of something.

“No, no, she has to be!” Cory shouted and Naruto raised an eyebrows

“Why’s that?” Morgan asked and Cory didn’t hesitate.

“Because where else could she be if she’s not in the house?!?” Cory shouted and Naruto shrugged.

“Disorganized killer, kid. Zizzo may have just gotten impatient and killed her in the woods somewhere. It could be months or years before she’s found, not like she was the target of the original attack anyway.” Naruto stated and Cory was becoming frantic.

“No! She’s here! I know it!” Cory shouted looking more agitated and Naruto knew it was because his plan and his control was slipping away.

“Calm down kid, I mean it was a forgone conclusion that she was dead. The one comfort for her family is that she will not have been raped since the Unsub can’t get it up that way. He needs to get off on the control, the power, and the fake authority he gets. It’s why he doesn’t have a girlfriend because he has to control them and the girl won’t put up with it. So he’s left impotent and feeling ashamed and emasculated because he’s lacking in all the areas a man shouldn’t be.” Naruto stated before Cory whipped towards him with a revolver drawn while Morgan drew his own weapon on him.

“SHUT UP!” Cory shouted as he glared at Naruto while Naruto just stood there.

“Oh? Did I strike a nerve Cory? Well prove me wrong, will we find signs that Cherish was raped? Will we find any evidence at all to show you haven’t been getting off on leading the cops and us around, following your little breadcrumb trail right where you want it? Please stop me if I’m wrong.” Naruto stated as Cory glared, “Oh, this was never about getting off, this was about getting daddy’s attention.” Naruto stated making Cory grit his teeth, “Spends all of his time at work and hardly ever pays attention to you, bet that’s why your mom left, she couldn’t stand being second place to a job. So you joined the football team, but that only got you some attention because you weren’t the super star. That’s why you killed Adam, he had it all: the looks, the brains, the hot girlfriend, the skills, and the prestige of being the ace of the football team with a big scholarship coming his way. Meanwhile you get the shaft despite being smarter than him and daddy just keeps ignoring you, saying you should be more like Adam and then maybe you’d finally get a girlfriend.” Naruto analyzed making Cory roar and put the gun right near his face.

“I SAID SHUT U-“ Cory didn’t finish shouting as Naruto grabbed his arm and forced it upward making the revolver got off before Naruto twisted his arm back making him scream in pain as he dropped the gun.

“Cuffs?” Naruto asked as he held the kid down with his arm twisted hard behind the back.

Morgan reached back and grabbed a pair of cuffs he got from Elle when he handed Zizzo over and tossed them to Naruto as he kept his gun on Cory. Naruto promptly cuffed the kid and made him sit on the ground as Naruto got the revolver and put the safety on just as the cops and team were arriving.

“Better late than never.” Naruto stated making Morgan laugh slightly as the others got out and came up to them.

**_LATER: ON THE JET_ **

Naruto looked around and saw the team was relaxing as Hotch was laid back in a seat, Morgan was laying across two seats, JJ was curled up on one seat, Elle was next to him laying on the couch asleep, and Reid and Gideon were sitting at one of the small tray tables looking at nothing. Gideon no doubt lost in thought since Brandi Dreifort confessed that all the teenagers except for Zizzo’s group knew about the first body and watched it decompose for a year up until Adam’s murder. He was no doubt still trying to come to terms with those teens treating a person’s body like it was some kind of toy.

As for Reid, he was sitting in thought after a talk with Naruto. The reason for the talk was because Reid found out that he told Gideon and Hotch about his nightmares, which understandably made Reid upset before Naruto gave his reasoning.

_Reid, did you honestly think you were fooling them? They know more about profiling than you do and were seeing the signs of your insomnia and knew it wasn’t natural since you would have said as much. They knew you were having nightmares before I even said anything because you’re the only one on the team who hasn’t dealt with it like this. Gideon was watching for if it started to affect your work or if you were going to come to him. I didn’t sell you out Reid, I just confirmed what they already suspected. You need to trust them and us that we have your back, we’re not going to betray you or your trust, they’ve dealt with this before. You think they don’t have nightmares? JJ? Morgan? Elle? It’s normal, it’s expected, talk to Gideon he’ll help you cope and learn to handle the nightmares._

Those had been Naruto’s words to him and Reid couldn’t refute what he was saying, mainly because it made too much sense.

He broke from his thoughts as Gideon spoke. “Reid.” Reid turned to look at him as he pulled his wallet out and pulled a picture of a blond woman with a man and two kids before showing it to him, “Deborah Louise Addison. Her husband Tim. Kids are Amber and Keith. Eight and six. 1985, Deborah Louise was walking home from school. She was abducted. She was 13. We profiled the unsub, and we were able to locate her before he harmed her. She writes a letter to the BAU every year. She updates us on her life.” Gideon stated with a fond smile.

“It's nice, but…” Reid started not seeing the point of the discussion.

Gideon looked at him with sympathy, “We all have bad dreams. Everyone on the plane. Who wouldn't? We hunt the worst of humanity, we see the depths of depravity, we dream of monsters that we know exist and that there’s more for every one we bring down.” Gideon stated as Reid sighed.

“In my dream, there's a baby in the middle of a circle, and there's, uh, someone on the other side. And I can't get to her before...” Reid didn’t finish and he didn’t need to.

Gideon held the photo up again, “Every night, I look at Deborah and her family. Helps me... helps me go to sleep thinking of the victims we've saved, the lives they get to have now. We don't always beat the monsters to the babies, but we do enough to make the job worth it, keep the nightmares bearable. Like Naruto’s said, how many more monsters and victims would there be if we didn’t do the job.” Gideon stated as he handed the photo to Reid, “The real way to tell when you need to stop the job, isn’t when you have nightmares or the cases bother you. The time to leave is when the nightmares stop, nothing you see can affect you, you’ve killed yourself so much your numb to it all, and I promise you, if I ever see you heading that direction I’ll pull you back and get you centered again. We all will.” Gideon stated seriously as Reid smiled and looked at the photo before closing his eyes slowly, not fearing what may come as he dreamed.

Gideon smiled softly before leaning back and saw Naruto reading a book as he combed his fingers through Elle’s hair. It wasn’t hard for him to do since Elle had her head on his lap and saw the peaceful smile on her face as he did.

Gideon merely smiled and shook his head before he began his own reading. He didn’t know what the two were going to do, but so long as it didn’t affect the work, he had no reason to speak on it.

He just hoped Elle was prepared for the complications involved.

Over by the two, Naruto turned his attention to his phone as a picture came in showing a naked Kurenai with a pair of equally naked red heads with one wearing glasses and the other not. All three were bent over with their asses and pussies spread wide for him to see. Beneath it was a text, **_“Missing you love. It’s just another day. We’ll see you soon.”_** Followed by kiss marks, hearts, and winks.

Naruto smiled at the message and gave the pic a light kiss before sending back a heart and smile before he turned the phone off and removed the SD card before breaking it. He wasn’t about to have one of the marshals jacking off to the pic or anyone else trying to get the phone and use the contact information.

“Stay safe girls. They’re still hunting.” Naruto whispered with a sigh before putting his phone away and going back to his book.

He was too focused on his girls being safe, he missed that Elle had opened her eyes when he shifted to pull his phone out. Meaning, she saw the message and heard what he said and frowned wondering just what the girls needed to be safe from?

Just what was he hiding from the team?

Furthermore, why did he join the team? Even if his deal worked out for him, it would still be decades before his sentence was reduced enough for him to get even a slight chance of parole.

So, why did he decide to get on the team?

Why did he seem to trust all of them?

What exactly convinced the director to sign off of on this or even come up with the idea?

There’s a lot of questions concerning Naruto and what he was and why he was there.

She’d have to watch him a bit more carefully, though she suspected Hotch and Gideon felt the same way. She hoped this wasn’t some con, stunt, or sick game, she was starting to feel something for him and didn’t want it to end up with him betraying them all for his own amusement or enjoyment. She didn’t know why or how, but she felt comfortable and at peace around him, it made the job bearable and helped keep her own nightmares away.

However, right now, she was going to relax and let him keep combing her hair with his fingers. She’d enjoy a peaceful sleep and keep enjoying them as long as she could have them.

**_DONE!_ **

**_Hope you all enjoyed it. This should have been done before New Years, but life decided that wasn’t going to happen. So happy late New Years!_ **

**_For those who missed it, I’ve started a Patreon to help get some of the stress off my life and this make it easier to get chapters out for you all. If you’d like to become a patron for me, you can find me on patreon under my writer name. If for some reason that doesn’t work, you can find a broken up link in my “Heads Up” “story” on FF or you can go to my heads up item here on Archive and a full link will be there for you to use._ **

**_To those who don’t know what Patreon is, basically you guys sign up and pledge so much money a month to me to basically make it easier for me to produce content for you and depending on how much you pledge you get different perks such as a shout out in chapters, a look at what I plan to do for future chapters, pick a pairing for me to do, pick someone to bash/kill, early warnings for when I am about to do release a chapter, a look at future fics and chapters that aren’t next to be posted, and even giving me an Omake to do. I plan to add more benefits/perks later on as I get more patrons as I can focus more on my writing and rewarding my patrons._ **

**_Speaking of: Shout out to my supporters on Patreon: Lindsay Schwartzkopff and Michael Welsh. Thank you for giving your support and for the future support you are giving._ **

**_That’s it, see you all next time._ **


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